Southwest Airlines Co. ·LUV

COO-led operations dominate CEO span at Southwest

Transportation · Fortune #156 · Divisional structure · 72K employees · Dallas, TX

View as of:
6
CEO span
↓ tighter than peers (avg 12)
1.8
Avg span
tight
3
Max depth
3 levels
3 yr
Avg tenure
↓ 1.0yr from FY2024
67%
Internal hires
↑ above industry avg
Consolidated financials FY2025 · period end 2025-12-31 · 10-K
Revenue
$28.1B
Operating income
$428M
Net income
$441M
Total assets
$29.1B
Shares out
491M

Sourced from Southwest Airlines Co. DEF 14A · filed 2026-03-27 ↗ View on SEC

Interactive org chart

Southwest Airlines Co. organizational chart

Explore the executive structure, reporting layers, and scenario-ready operating model from public filings.

Open editable chart

COO-led operations dominate CEO span at Southwest, with both a COO and EVP Operations reporting directly to the CEO. This page maps Southwest’s executive structure, highlights its operational emphasis, summarizes recent leadership changes, and compares its model with major U.S. airline peers.

What to model

Use the chart to test org decisions, not just view reporting lines

Start with the public baseline, then use the scenario views and source-backed changes to ask what happens when leadership, span, or team ownership shifts.

Latest signal Tammy Romo departed as Executive Vice President & Chief Financial Officer

Resigned effective April 1, 2025.

Source · See change log

Scenario views in the chart

  • Add Chief AI Officer Introduce a Chief AI Officer reporting to the CEO to accelerate operational automation and pricing optimization.
  • Consolidate Operations Under COO Move EVP Operations to report under the COO to simplify operational command and reduce CEO span.

Atlas work this supports

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  • Plan a Reorg Use this as a starting point. Model scenarios, compare structures, present options to your board.

The people

Who's running this

6 executives identified as Named Executive Officers in the most recent SEC proxy. Bar length scales with tenure.

internal

Robert E. Jordan

President & Chief Executive Officer

Executive

4 yr

15 reports

internal

Andrew M. Watterson

Chief Operating Officer

Operations

5 yr

6 reports

Tom Doxey

Executive Vice President & Chief Financial Officer

Finance

2 yr

2 reports

internal

Justin Jones

Executive Vice President, Operations

Operations

2 yr

2 reports

internal

Anthony Roach

Executive Vice President, Chief Customer & Brand Officer

Customer & Marketing

2 yr

2 reports

internal

Jeff Novota

Senior Vice President, Chief Legal Officer & Corporate Secretary

Legal

3 yr

1 reports

The pay

Executive compensation

From the most recent DEF 14A Summary Compensation Table. 2 named executive officers disclosed. Bar length scales with total compensation.

Robert E. Jordan $16.6M
Base salary
$845K
Stock awards
$13.08M
Non-equity incentive
$2.03M
Other
$637K
Fiscal year
FY2025
Source
SEC DEF 14A ↗
Tom Doxey $9.1M
Base salary
$467K
Bonus
$500K
Stock awards
$7.26M
Non-equity incentive
$790K
Other
$128K
Fiscal year
FY2025
Source
SEC DEF 14A ↗

The businesses

How Southwest Airlines Co. divides the work

3 divisions report into the group CEO. Tile size scales with estimated headcount.

Operations

45K employees

Chief Operating Officer (Andrew M. Watterson)

Manages flight operations, maintenance, network reliability, and ground operations.

Finance

2K employees

EVP & CFO (Tom Doxey)

Oversees financial planning, accounting, treasury, and investor relations.

Customer & Brand

3K employees

EVP Chief Customer & Brand Officer (Anthony Roach)

Leads customer experience, marketing, loyalty, and brand strategy.

The thesis

Why this org is unusual

COO-led operations account for the largest share of CEO direct reports at Southwest.

The structure shows operations split between a COO and a separate EVP Operations, reflecting the airline’s operational intensity. Finance, legal, and customer functions remain lean at the top, while operational roles carry deeper reporting layers. This aligns with Southwest’s focus on reliability, fleet utilization, and network execution during its recent transformation.
  • COO and EVP Operations both report directly to CEO

The comparison

How Southwest Airlines Co. stacks up

Compared with U.S. network carriers like American and Delta, Southwest maintains a comparatively operations-heavy executive span with fewer commercial and technology-focused C-suite roles. Unlike United, which has added standalone digital and strategy chiefs, Southwest concentrates authority in operations and customer …

C-suite size

Southwest Airlines Co.
6
Delta Air Lines
12
American Airlines
13
United Airlines
14
JetBlue Airways
10

Reporting depth

Southwest Airlines Co.
3 levels
Delta Air Lines
5 levels
American Airlines
6 levels
United Airlines
6 levels
JetBlue Airways
5 levels

Avg C-suite tenure

Southwest Airlines Co.
3 yr
Delta Air Lines
6 yr
American Airlines
5 yr
United Airlines
4 yr
JetBlue Airways
4 yr

Has COO / Has CAIO

Southwest Airlines Co. ✓ COO — no CAIO
Delta Air Lines ✓ COO — no CAIO
American Airlines ✓ COO — no CAIO
United Airlines ✓ COO ✓ CAIO
JetBlue Airways ✓ COO — no CAIO

Current signals

What changed recently

The most significant change was the CFO transition from Tammy Romo to Tom Doxey amid a broader operational reorganization.

  • departed
    Tammy Romo Executive Vice President & Chief Financial Officer

    Resigned effective April 1, 2025.

    Source
  • Date not confirmed new
    Tom Doxey Executive Vice President & Chief Financial Officer

    Assumed CFO role in 2024; first year as NEO in 2025.

    Source
  • Date not confirmed reorg
    Operations Leadership COO / EVP Operations

    Operations leadership split between COO and EVP Operations during 2024–2025 transformation.

    Source

Leadership Timeline

Year-over-year executive structure based on SEC proxy and annual filings.

FY2025
DEF 14A filed 2026-03-27
CEO
Robert E. Jordan
CEO span
6
C-suite
5
Avg tenure
3 yr

Operations leadership expanded during transformation period.

Named executive officers (5)
  • Robert E. Jordan - CEO since 2022
  • Tom Doxey - CFO since 2024
  • Andrew M. Watterson - COO since 2020
  • Justin Jones - EVP Operations since 2023
  • Anthony Roach - EVP Chief Customer & Brand Officer since 2023
FY2024
DEF 14A filed 2025-04-04
CEO
Robert E. Jordan
CEO span
6
C-suite
6
Avg tenure
4 yr

Multiple executive departures announced for 2025.

Named executive officers (5)
  • Robert E. Jordan - CEO since 2022
  • Tammy Romo - CFO since 2012
  • Andrew M. Watterson - COO since 2020
  • Linda B. Rutherford - Chief Administration Officer
  • Ryan C. Green - Chief Transformation Officer
FY2023
10-K filed 2024-02-06
CEO
Robert E. Jordan
CEO span
5
C-suite
6
Avg tenure
5 yr

Legacy leadership structure prior to board refresh.

Named executive officers (4)
  • Robert E. Jordan - CEO since 2022
  • Tammy Romo - CFO since 2012
  • Andrew M. Watterson - COO since 2020
  • Gary C. Kelly - Executive Chairman

Year-over-year changes

FY2023 → FY2024

Southwest expanded operational leadership depth as transformation initiatives accelerated.

  • CEO span: 5 → 6
  • C-suite size: 6 → 6
  • Avg tenure: 5 → 4 yr
  • reorg Operations Leadership - COO / EVP Operations (DEF 14A filed 2025-04-04)
FY2024 → FY2025

A CFO transition reduced average tenure and marked a generational shift in the finance role.

  • CEO span: 6 → 6
  • C-suite size: 6 → 5
  • Avg tenure: 4 → 3 yr
  • departed Tammy Romo - CFO (was CFO) (DEF 14A filed 2026-03-27)
  • new Tom Doxey - CFO (DEF 14A filed 2026-03-27)

Frequently Asked Questions

Who is the CEO of Southwest Airlines?

Robert E. Jordan has served as President and Chief Executive Officer since 2022.

What type of organizational structure does Southwest Airlines use?

Southwest uses a divisional structure centered on operations, customer, and finance leadership.

How many direct reports does Southwest Airlines's CEO have?

The CEO has six direct executive reports.

How has Southwest Airlines's leadership changed recently?

Recent changes include a CFO transition to Tom Doxey and a reorganization emphasizing operations leadership during 2024–2025.

Does Southwest Airlines have a COO?

Yes. Andrew M. Watterson serves as Chief Operating Officer, reporting directly to the CEO.

Sources

  • Company Proxy Statement, Apr 2025
  • DEF 14A, Mar 2026
  • Company Filings, 2025
  • SEC EDGAR: Southwest Airlines Co. DEF 14A Proxy Statement
  • SEC EDGAR: Southwest Airlines Co. 10-K Annual Report

Reference

Cite this page

If you reference this page in research, analysis, or news writing, use one of the formats below. Citation includes the SEC filing source where applicable.

APA 7th
Creately. (2026). Southwest Airlines Co. organizational structure. Creately. Retrieved , from https://creately.com/org-chart/fortune-500/southwest-airlines/
MLA 9th
"Southwest Airlines Co. Organizational Structure." Creately, April 1, 2026, https://creately.com/org-chart/fortune-500/southwest-airlines/. Accessed .
Chicago 17
Creately. "Southwest Airlines Co. Organizational Structure." Last modified April 1, 2026. https://creately.com/org-chart/fortune-500/southwest-airlines/.
Original SEC source View on SEC ↗
Southwest Airlines Co.. DEF 14A. Filed 2026-03-27. U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/92380/000119312526127237/d121727ddef14a.htm

Permanent URL: https://creately.com/org-chart/fortune-500/southwest-airlines/ · last updated 2026-04-01

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