Southwest Reaffirms ‘Merit’ Hiring Amid DEI Scrutiny

The airline’s CEO says it is reviewing new executive orders.

A Southwest 737 in Las Vegas (Photo: AirlineGeeks | William Derrickson)

[ News ]January 31, 2025 12:38 pm ET

By Ryan Ewing

Southwest is the latest airline to double down on commitments to merit-based hiring. The Dallas-based carrier’s comments come after increased scrutiny over diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) practices.

“On the DEI question, whether it’s today, five years ago, 10 years ago, or 20 years ago, I’ve been here 37 years. We’ve always worked hard to hire people who are just nice,” said Southwest CEO Bob Jordan during the airline’s fourth-quarter earnings call on Thursday.

Earlier this month, President Donald Trump signed an executive order requiring the Federal Aviation Administration to immediately halt all DEI initiatives, calling them discriminatory. In addition, the president ordered all federal employees in DEI-related roles to go on leave, according to NBC News.

Trump also suggested that Wednesday’s midair collision in Washington, D.C., was related to DEI hiring within the FAA.

Last week, United CEO Scott Kirby echoed Jordan’s comments, adding that his airline has always hired based on merit. “And [while] we do hire on merit, we can hire the absolute best of the best and have a naturally diverse workforce,” he said.

Jordan continued: “They like coming to work. They like their team, and they feel like they belong at Southwest. And then as it relates to hiring and promotions, they’ve always been merit-based and no different across our history. So no changes in terms of how we think about how we treat people and how we reward people.”

He added that the airline will be “evaluating” a slew of recent executive orders from the White House. “And so I think just sort of stay tuned there,” Jordan concluded.

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Ryan Ewing

Ryan founded AirlineGeeks.com back in February 2013 and has amassed considerable experience in the aviation sector. His work has been featured in several publications and news outlets, including CNN, WJLA, CNET, and Business Insider. During his time in the industry, he's worked in roles pertaining to airport/airline operations while holding a B.S. in Air Transportation Management from Arizona State University along with an MBA. Ryan has experience in several facets of the industry from behind the yoke of a Cessna 172 to interviewing airline industry executives. Ryan works for AirlineGeeks' owner FLYING Media, spearheading coverage in the commercial aviation space.

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Author

Ryan Ewing

Ryan founded AirlineGeeks.com back in February 2013 and has amassed considerable experience in the aviation sector. His work has been featured in several publications and news outlets, including CNN, WJLA, CNET, and Business Insider. During his time in the industry, he's worked in roles pertaining to airport/airline operations while holding a B.S. in Air Transportation Management from Arizona State University along with an MBA. Ryan has experience in several facets of the industry from behind the yoke of a Cessna 172 to interviewing airline industry executives. Ryan works for AirlineGeeks' owner FLYING Media, spearheading coverage in the commercial aviation space.
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