Southwest Airlines Cabin Crew
Industry-topping union pay and home-every-few-days domestic flying — when the hiring window is actually open.
Entry · per month
$2,700–3,500
Rank 3 of 59 for entry pay
Senior · per month
$5,800–7,800
+119% to senior
Tax-free
— No
Not provided
Crew rating · editorial
7.8 / 10
Crew score rank 6 of 59
Overview
Southwest rewrote the low-cost rulebook on crew pay: the 2024 TWU Local 556 contract made its flight attendants the highest paid in the industry on average, with first-year rates around $36.92 per trip-for-pay hour, top of scale above $84 and headed toward nearly $100 by the end of the deal, plus 3% annual raises through 2027. For an airline with no long-haul flying and no premium cabins, that is a remarkable outcome — a Southwest career pays like a legacy career while keeping you in US time zones.
The lifestyle is the real differentiator. Southwest flies an all-Boeing 737 network of short and medium hops, so crew work multi-leg days (four to six sectors is normal) but sleep in US hotels and are rarely away longer than three or four days. There are no 14-hour time-zone-shredding ultra-long-hauls, redeyes are limited, and the culture — casual uniforms, humor over the PA, first-name informality — remains genuinely looser than the legacies even as the airline corporatizes. Eleven bases across the country give good odds of living near one.
The honest caveat is timing. Southwest froze flight attendant hiring in 2024, overstaffed after the post-pandemic surge, and offered voluntary separation packages during its 2025 restructuring as activist-investor pressure forced cost cuts, the end of open seating and the introduction of assigned/premium seating. New-hire classes have been rare since, and the airline's transformation means anyone targeting Southwest should watch the careers page patiently rather than expect an open door. When windows do open, competition is fierce because the contract is now so lucrative.
Salary
Paid per trip-for-pay (TFP) rather than block hours, which rewards efficient multi-leg days; first-year ~$36.92/TFP rising to $84+ at top of scale with 3% annual bumps through 2027, plus per diems and profit sharing.
Estimates in USD compiled from public sources and crew reports; actual offers vary. Compare all airlines →
Requirements
Minimum age
21
Height / reach
No published minimum
Education
High school diploma or GED.
Languages
Fluent English; Spanish is an advantage for the Latin leisure network but not required.
Tattoo policy
Visible tattoos are permitted within limits under the relaxed appearance policy, but not on face or throat and nothing offensive; large pieces may need covering.
Also required
Right to work in the US; ability to lift 50 lbs, operate exits and complete a 3–4 week training program in Dallas; strong customer-service personality is screened for heavily.
Do you meet the requirements at Southwest Airlines?
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See how these compare industry-wide on the requirements comparison page.
Base & accommodation
Dallas (Love Field) · Not provided
No housing; the domestic network and eleven bases make living in base more achievable than at legacy carriers, and commuting remains common and accepted.
Roster & layovers
Roster style
Seniority bidding on monthly lines of multi-day domestic pairings; reserve for new hires is real but historically shorter than at legacies, and the TFP system means efficient flyers out-earn their block hours. Trip trading culture is very active.
Layovers
Short US overnights of 9–16 hours in mid-market cities, plus Mexico, Central America and Caribbean stations; no long-haul, no multi-day international layovers — you are home often instead.
Benefits beyond the paycheck
- ★Highest average flight attendant pay in the industry under the 2024 TWU 556 contract
- ★ProfitSharing plan with a long record of annual payouts
- ★401(k) with generous company match
- ★Unlimited free standby travel on Southwest for employee and eligible family
- ★All-domestic-style flying with limited redeyes and no long-haul fatigue
- ★Full medical, dental and vision benefits
How to apply, step by step
- 01
Apply online within hours of a posting opening — windows close after tens of thousands of applications.
- 02
Complete an online assessment and recorded video interview.
- 03
Attend a group interview day with team exercises testing warmth and humor alongside professionalism.
- 04
Pass a one-to-one panel interview and receive a contingent job offer.
- 05
Clear background check, drug screen and fingerprinting.
- 06
Complete ~4 weeks of initial training at the Dallas training center and get your base assignment.
Career progression
Crew rating
Editorial baseline on a 0 to 10 scale, set from pay, roster, base life, career and lifestyle evidence. No member has rated Southwest Airlines yet: registered members can, below, and the score will blend their votes in. Methodology.
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Why crew love it
- +Legacy-beating pay without legacy-style long-haul fatigue
- +Sleep-friendly domestic flying with frequent nights at home
- +Famously supportive crew culture and strong union representation
- +Eleven bases spread across the country improve odds of living where you fly from
Watch out for
- −Hiring has been frozen or minimal since 2024 — you cannot simply decide to join
- −Four-to-six-leg days are physically grinding in a different way from long-haul
- −The airline is mid-transformation (assigned seating, cost cuts), and cultural erosion is a live crew concern
Frequently asked questions
How much do Southwest flight attendants make?
First-year crew earn about $36.92 per trip-for-pay hour — roughly $2,700–3,500 take-home monthly — while top-of-scale crew above $84/TFP take home $5,800–7,800. The 2024 TWU contract made Southwest's the highest average flight attendant pay in the US.
Is Southwest Airlines hiring flight attendants right now?
Generally no — hiring has been largely frozen since 2024 while Southwest restructures, and it offered voluntary separations in 2025. Postings appear rarely and close within days under massive application volume, so set job alerts on the official careers site.
Do Southwest flight attendants fly international routes?
Only short-haul international: Mexico, Central America and the Caribbean. There is no long-haul flying at Southwest — the trade-off is multi-leg domestic days but far more nights at home than at legacy carriers.
Hiring status
Flight attendant hiring has been largely frozen since 2024 amid restructuring and voluntary separation offers; monitor the careers site for rare posting windows, which fill within days.
Compare with other North America airlines
DL · Atlanta
Delta Air Lines
crew score
The best-paying and most selective flight attendant job in America — harder to get into than Harvard.
UA · Chicago
United Airlines
crew score
A landmark 2026 contract with 31% raises, boarding pay and a path to $100/hour on the biggest long-haul network in America.
AS · Seattle
Alaska Airlines
crew score
A 2025 contract with raises up to 28%, the Hawaiian merger's growth story, and the best base lifestyle on the US West Coast.
Preparing to apply? Start with our step-by-step hiring roadmap and interview question bank.