Document And Entity Information	6 Months Ended
	Jun. 30, 2014	Jul. 28, 2014
Entity Information [Line Items]
Entity Registrant Name	SOUTHWEST AIRLINES CO
Entity Central Index Key	0000092380
Current Fiscal Year End Date	--12-31
Entity Filer Category	Large Accelerated Filer
Document Type	10-Q
Document Period End Date	Jun. 30, 2014
Document Fiscal Year Focus	2014
Document Fiscal Period Focus	Q2
Amendment Flag	false
Entity Common Stock, Shares Outstanding		685,140,186