The discovery of air travel enabled one of the most significant paradigm shifts the world has ever experienced in terms of industry and lifestyles alike. Today, air travel exists as an intrinsic part of modern society. Individuals have the ability to attend meetings, conferences, and other work-mandated events in person. At the same time, relationships – platonic, romantic, familial, and otherwise – can be maintained around the globe regardless of someone’s place of residence, all thanks to the ability to travel easily. Air travel proved particularly crucial during the COVID-19 pandemic; returning people to their homes at short notice, transporting medical personnel to areas hit hardest by COVID, and enabling the continued movement of freight to provide for people during the global health emergency. 

Southwest Airlines® is one of the most admired and awarded airlines and the largest domestic carrier in the United States. By empowering its nearly 55,000 People* to deliver unparalleled Hospitality, the maverick airline cherishes a passionate loyalty among its customer base. Southwest’s purpose is focused on connecting people to what’s important in their lives through friendly, reliable, and low-cost air travel — a focus that includes tackling the environmental impacts of flying.

Southwest Airlines has announced a goal to become carbon neutral by 2050 and recognizes the importance of taking action in the near term. “That’s why we’ve developed a robust ten-year plan to make progress this decade,” says Helen Giles, Director Environmental Sustainability at Southwest Airlines. Southwest plans to reduce its carbon emissions intensity by at least 20% as compared to 2019 by 2030, and Southwest intends to maintain carbon neutral growth to 2019 levels every year through the end of the decade.

Two significant parts of Southwest’s sustainability plan include modernizing its fleet with more fuel-efficient Boeing 737 MAX aircraft and adopting the use of Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) to reduce carbon emissions from flying on a lifecycle basis. “SAF is jet fuel that’s fully [ASTM] certified [and] is derived from non-fossil-based sources or feedstocks and, when used, can result in significantly lower greenhouse gas emissions,” says Michael AuBuchon, Senior Director of Fuel Supply Chain Management at Southwest. 

SAF comes in two types: biofuel, made from organic materials, and synthetic fuel made from green hydrogen and captured carbon. Regardless of the type, the benefits of SAF are potentially numerous and significant compared to conventional jet fuel. SAF can be transported and used in a similar manner as conventional jet fuel, but as it is derived from renewable sources, its carbon footprint on a lifecycle basis is potentially much lower.

Southwest’s motivation for using SAF is simple. “We really have to be focused on reducing the amount of [conventional] jet fuel that we fly, replacing it with lower carbon alternatives, or offsetting in other areas in order to compensate for the amount of emissions we create that create an environmental impact, ” explains Stacy Malphurs, Vice President of Supply Chain Management and Environmental Sustainability at Southwest. To advance the development of SAF, Southwest is partnering with Velocys, a sustainable fuels technology company that is developing a biofuels project in Mississippi to produce carbon negative SAF. This project is believed to have the potential to create substantial ecological benefits for airport communities and the wider environment alike.

Southwest is taking sustainable action through its varied and innovative methods, however it recognizes inclusivity and collaboration are crucial to the industry being able to meet its goals. “At Southwest Airlines, we’ve set some terrific sustainability goals, but the goals are best achieved if we all work together, everybody can do their part, said Bob Jordan Chief Executive Officer at Southwest.  

In terms of sustainable innovation and development – such as with SAF – collaboration between governments, energy producers and manufacturers will be required to scale the work already done. Southwest is excited to be collaborating with a number of partners. For example, Southwest has made a $10 million commitment to Yale’s Center for Natural Carbon Capture to research technological advancements and find new solutions to reduce net greenhouse gas emissions and to Yale’s School of the Environment to explore the current state of sustainability, strategy, policy, and economics. Southwest is also a founding member of the Aviation Climate Taskforce (ACT), a nonprofit founded with a goal of accelerating breakthroughs in critical emerging technologies required to decarbonize the aviation sector. 

Southwest is also engaging with customers in sustainable action. One of the ways customers can engage is by participating in Southwest’s carbon offset program, which enables Customers to contribute to help offset Southwest’s carbon emissions. Customers can visit southwestco2.com to learn more.  

As a longstanding leader in the aviation sector, Southwest believes in a positive and sustainable future for all, and looks forward to continuing to partner with Customers, government entities, non-profits, and research organizations to achieve these goals. 

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1. Largest domestic carrier claim based on data from the Department of Transportation’s (DOT) O&D (Origin and Destination) Survey for the 12 months ending June 30, 2021, based on domestic originating passengers. This data can be accessed via Diio Mi at mi.diio.net.

2.  Fulltime-equivalent active Employees

3. As compared to 2019 and excluding carbon offsets

4. After the initial “southwest Airlines” we’re comfortable just being referred to as Southwest. There’s some inconsistency of that throughout the article, so calling that our for a Reuter decision. Either say Southwest Airlines every time, or always just Southwest after the initial mention.