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Financial Derivative Instruments Narrative (Details) (USD $)
3 Months Ended 12 Months Ended
Mar. 31, 2015
Mar. 31, 2014
Dec. 31, 2014
Dec. 31, 2006
Derivative [Line Items]        
Deferred Gain (Loss) on Discontinuation of Interest Rate Fair Value Hedge $ 12,000,000us-gaap_DeferredGainLossOnDiscontinuationOfInterestRateFairValueHedge      
Amount paid for purchases and sales of offsetting derivative instruments     217,000,000luv_Amountpaidforpurchasesandsalesofoffsettingderivativeinstruments  
Premiums paid for fuel derivative contracts 26,000,000us-gaap_GainLossOnComponentsExcludedFromAssessmentOfPriceRiskFairValueHedgeEffectiveness 17,000,000us-gaap_GainLossOnComponentsExcludedFromAssessmentOfPriceRiskFairValueHedgeEffectiveness    
Current Unrealized Net Gains (Losses) in OCI (291,000,000)us-gaap_PriceRiskCashFlowHedgeUnrealizedGainLossToBeReclassifiedDuringNext12Months      
Maximum sum of derivatives of counterparty to be included in other (less than $20 million) 20,000,000luv_MaximumSumOfDerivativesOfCounterpartyToBeIncludedInOther      
Cash collateral provided as a percentage of derivative contract value (in hundredths) 100.00%luv_CashCollateralPercentOfFairValueFuelDerivativesContracts      
5.75% Notes due 2016        
Derivative [Line Items]        
Debt Instrument, Face Amount       300,000,000us-gaap_DebtInstrumentFaceAmount
/ us-gaap_DebtInstrumentAxis
= luv_UnsecuredSeniorNotesDue2016Member
Stated interest rate       5.75%us-gaap_DebtInstrumentInterestRateStatedPercentage
/ us-gaap_DebtInstrumentAxis
= luv_UnsecuredSeniorNotesDue2016Member
Fuel derivatives        
Derivative [Line Items]        
GainLossOnDerivativeNetDueToLossOfHedgeAccounting 11,000,000luv_GainLossOnDerivativeNetDueToLossOfHedgeAccounting
/ us-gaap_DerivativeInstrumentRiskAxis
= us-gaap_CommodityContractMember
     
Cash Flow Hedging        
Derivative [Line Items]        
Derivative Instruments, Gain (Loss) Reclassified from Accumulated OCI into Income, Effective Portion, Net (48,000,000)us-gaap_DerivativeInstrumentsGainLossReclassifiedFromAccumulatedOCIIntoIncomeEffectivePortionNet
/ us-gaap_DerivativeInstrumentsGainLossByHedgingRelationshipAxis
= us-gaap_CashFlowHedgingMember
[1] (4,000,000)us-gaap_DerivativeInstrumentsGainLossReclassifiedFromAccumulatedOCIIntoIncomeEffectivePortionNet
/ us-gaap_DerivativeInstrumentsGainLossByHedgingRelationshipAxis
= us-gaap_CashFlowHedgingMember
[1]    
Cash Flow Hedging | Fuel derivatives        
Derivative [Line Items]        
Derivative Instruments, Gain (Loss) Reclassified from Accumulated OCI into Income, Effective Portion, Net (45,000,000)us-gaap_DerivativeInstrumentsGainLossReclassifiedFromAccumulatedOCIIntoIncomeEffectivePortionNet
/ us-gaap_DerivativeInstrumentRiskAxis
= us-gaap_CommodityContractMember
/ us-gaap_DerivativeInstrumentsGainLossByHedgingRelationshipAxis
= us-gaap_CashFlowHedgingMember
[1],[2] 0us-gaap_DerivativeInstrumentsGainLossReclassifiedFromAccumulatedOCIIntoIncomeEffectivePortionNet
/ us-gaap_DerivativeInstrumentRiskAxis
= us-gaap_CommodityContractMember
/ us-gaap_DerivativeInstrumentsGainLossByHedgingRelationshipAxis
= us-gaap_CashFlowHedgingMember
[1],[2]    
Cash Flow Hedging | Interest rate derivatives        
Derivative [Line Items]        
Derivative Instruments, Gain (Loss) Reclassified from Accumulated OCI into Income, Effective Portion, Net $ (3,000,000)us-gaap_DerivativeInstrumentsGainLossReclassifiedFromAccumulatedOCIIntoIncomeEffectivePortionNet
/ us-gaap_DerivativeInstrumentRiskAxis
= us-gaap_InterestRateSwapMember
/ us-gaap_DerivativeInstrumentsGainLossByHedgingRelationshipAxis
= us-gaap_CashFlowHedgingMember
[1],[2] $ (4,000,000)us-gaap_DerivativeInstrumentsGainLossReclassifiedFromAccumulatedOCIIntoIncomeEffectivePortionNet
/ us-gaap_DerivativeInstrumentRiskAxis
= us-gaap_InterestRateSwapMember
/ us-gaap_DerivativeInstrumentsGainLossByHedgingRelationshipAxis
= us-gaap_CashFlowHedgingMember
[1],[2]    
[1] Amounts related to fuel derivative contracts and interest rate derivatives are included in Fuel and oil and Interest expense, respectively.
[2] Net of tax