CEO Salary & Executive Compensation
Southwest Airlines LUV
CEO: Bob Jordan · Airlines · 74,000 employees
Bob Jordan, CEO of Southwest Airlines (LUV), earned $13.0M in total compensation in 2024. Southwest Airlines receives a Pay-for-Performance grade of C (50/100), with a CEO-to-worker pay ratio of 173:1 and a say-on-pay shareholder approval of 89.4%. The company's 3-year total shareholder return is -2.0%.
How Southwest Airlines CEO Pay Compares
Bob Jordan's $13.0M total compensation is 63% above the Airlines industry median of $8.0M. The 173:1 CEO-to-worker pay ratio is 34% higher than the industry average of 129:1.
Southwest Airlines (LUV) disclosed $13.0M in CEO compensation for Bob Jordan. The package is structured for retention plus performance alignment, with equity awards taking the largest share.
The CEO-to-median-worker pay ratio is 173x, meaning Bob Jordan's $13.0M total comp is roughly that many times the median $75,000 earned by Southwest Airlines workers. The ratio is in the mid-range of S&P 500 disclosures and reflects the standard public-company compensation structure. Three-year performance has been roughly flat — TSR of -2.0% alongside -3.0% revenue growth. Flat performance over a multi-year window is where pay-versus-performance debates get the most heated: large compensation packages without commensurate shareholder returns are the modal complaint at annual meetings.
Say-on-pay support was strong at 89%. The Dodd-Frank-mandated advisory vote on executive compensation passes at most U.S. public companies with comfortable margins; meaningful dissent typically requires either pay-performance misalignment or specific governance concerns. Southwest Airlines operates in Airlines with 74,000 employees and $26.0B in annual revenue, and currently carries a market capitalization of $18.0B. Pay comparisons across companies require controlling for these structural factors — a $20M package at a $10B-revenue tech company reads differently than the same package at a $1B-revenue industrial.
Source: SEC EDGAR — DEF 14A proxy statements for Southwest Airlines (LUV).
Compensation Breakdown
Bob Jordan's $13.0M total compensation package for fiscal year 2024 includes $1.3M in base salary, $6.5M in stock awards, $1.6M in option awards, and $1.9M in bonus and non-equity incentives.
Compensation History
| Year | Salary | Bonus | Stock Awards | Options | Non-Equity | Other | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | $1.3M | - | $6.5M | $1.6M | $1.9M | $1.4M | $13.0M |
| 2023 | $1.2M | - | $6.2M | $1.5M | $1.9M | $1.4M | $12.3M |
| 2022 | $1.2M | - | $5.8M | $1.4M | $1.8M | $1.3M | $11.7M |
All compensation data is sourced from SEC DEF 14A proxy filings submitted to EDGAR. The Economic Policy Institute's CEO pay analysis provides additional context on executive compensation trends across industries.
Named Executive Officers
Peer CEO Compensation
More Airlines Companies
Bob Jordan, CEO of Southwest Airlines (LUV), earns $13.0M in total compensation. This includes base salary, stock awards, option awards, and other incentives as reported in the company's most recent DEF 14A proxy statement.
Frequently Asked Questions
Bob Jordan, CEO of Southwest Airlines (LUV), earns $13.0M in total compensation. This includes base salary, stock awards, option awards, and other incentives as reported in the company's most recent DEF 14A proxy statement.
Southwest Airlines has a Pay-for-Performance Score of C (50/100). The company's 3-year total shareholder return is -2.0%, and the say-on-pay shareholder vote passed with 89.4% approval.
The CEO-to-median-worker pay ratio at Southwest Airlines is 173:1. The median worker at Southwest Airlines earns $75K per year, while CEO Bob Jordan earns $13.0M in total compensation.
Southwest Airlines employs approximately 74,000 people. The company operates in the Airlines industry within the Industrials sector, generating $26.0B in annual revenue.