Commitments and Contingencies

3 Months Ended

Mar. 31, 2024

Commitments and Contingencies Disclosure [Abstract]

Commitments

The Company's contractual order book with The Boeing Company ("Boeing") for 737-7 ("-7") and 737-8 ("-8") aircraft, which extends to 2031, was designed to support the Company's growth and fleet modernization plans, while also providing significant flexibility to manage its fleet size, including opportunities to accelerate fleet modernization efforts if growth opportunities do not materialize. The Company received five -8 aircraft deliveries from Boeing in first quarter 2024 and retired three 737-700 ("-700") aircraft.

Boeing continues to experience delays in fulfilling its commitments with regards to delivery of MAX aircraft to the Company, as a result of manufacturing challenges, as well as delays in achieving FAA certification of one of its new aircraft types, the -7, for which Southwest expects to be the launch customer. As a result of Boeing's delivery delays, the Company has conservatively re-planned its capacity and delivery expectations for the remainder of this year and next.

The Company entered into a Supplemental Agreement with Boeing to formalize the conversion of 19 2025 -7 firm orders into -8 firm orders as of March 31, 2024. Therefore, as of March 31, 2024, the Company had the following firm orders and options for future periods:


	The Boeing Company
	-7 Firm Orders		-8 Firm Orders		-7 or -8 Options	Total
2024	27		58		—	85	(c)
2025	40		19		15	74
2026	59		—		26	85
2027	19		46		25	90
2028	15		50		25	90
2029	38		34		18	90
2030	45		—		45	90
2031	45		—		45	90
	288	(a)	207	(b)	199	694

(a) The delivery timing for the -7 is dependent on the Federal Aviation Administration ("FAA") issuing required certifications and approvals to Boeing and the Company. The FAA will ultimately determine the timing of the -7 certification and entry into service, and the Company therefore offers no assurances that current estimations and timelines are correct.

(b) The Company has flexibility to designate firm orders or options as -7s or -8s, upon written advance notification as stated in the contract.

(c) Includes five -8 deliveries received year-to-date through March 31, 2024. Given the Company's continued discussions with Boeing and expected aircraft delivery delays, the Company is currently planning for approximately 20 -8 aircraft deliveries in 2024.

Based on the Company's current agreement with Boeing, capital commitments associated with firm orders as of March 31, 2024, were: $1.9 billion remaining in 2024, $1.7 billion in 2025, $1.8 billion in 2026, $2.6 billion in 2027, $2.9 billion in 2028, $2.5 billion in 2029, and $2.8 billion thereafter.

Contingencies

The Company is from time to time subject to various legal proceedings and claims arising in the ordinary course of business and records a liability for such claims when it is probable that a loss will be incurred and the amount is reasonably estimable.

The Company is a defendant in class action litigation asserting it has not provided paid short-term military leave to certain employees, in violation of the federal Uniformed Services Employment and Reemployment Rights Act (“USERRA”). The United States District Court for the Northern District of California previously issued an order to effectively stay the action, pending an appeal from an order by the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Washington granting summary judgment in favor of an airline in a separate case involving substantially the same claims at issue in this action. On February 1, 2023, the Ninth Circuit reversed the district court’s grant of summary judgment and remanded the separate airline case to the District Court. The Ninth Circuit’s decision may adversely affect the Company’s defenses in the USERRA proceeding and may give rise to additional litigation in this or other areas. On March 22, 2024, the parties in the Company's case submitted a proposed case schedule through trial. The Court subsequently set a trial date of July 21, 2025. The Company is currently not able to estimate a range of possible loss with regards to the litigation to which it is a defendant.