XML 30 R12.htm IDEA: XBRL DOCUMENT v3.20.4
REVENUE
 12 Months Ended
Dec. 31, 2020
Revenue Recognition and Deferred Revenue [Abstract]  
Revenue from Contract with Customer REVENUE
Passenger Revenues

The Company’s contracts with its Customers primarily consist of its tickets sold, which are initially deferred as Air traffic liability. Passenger revenue associated with tickets is recognized when the performance obligation to the Customer is satisfied, which is primarily when travel is provided.

Revenue is categorized by revenue source as the Company believes it best depicts the nature, amount, timing, and uncertainty of revenue and cash flow. The following table provides the components of Passenger revenue recognized for the years ended December 31, 2020, 2019, and 2018:

 Year ended December 31,
(in millions)202020192018
Passenger non-loyalty$6,303 $17,578 $17,506 
Passenger loyalty - air transportation1,003 2,487 2,307 
Passenger ancillary sold separately359 711 642 
Total passenger revenues$7,665 $20,776 $20,455 

Passenger non-loyalty includes all revenues recognized from Passengers related to flights paid for primarily with cash or credit card. All Customers purchasing a ticket on Southwest Airlines are generally able to check up to two bags at no extra charge (with certain exceptions as stated in the Company's published Contract of Carriage), and the Company also does not charge a fee for a Customer to make a change to their flight after initial purchase, although fare differences may apply. Passenger loyalty - air transportation primarily consists of the revenue recognized associated with award flights taken by loyalty program members upon redemption of loyalty points. Passenger ancillary sold separately includes any revenue recognized associated with ancillary fees charged separately, such as in-flight purchases, EarlyBird Check-In®, and Upgraded Boarding.

In order to determine the value of each loyalty point, certain assumptions must be made at the time of measurement, which include the following:

•Allocation of Passenger Revenue - Revenues from Passengers, related to travel, who also earn Rapid Rewards Points have been allocated between flight (recognized as revenue when transportation is provided) and Rapid Rewards Points (deferred until points are redeemed) based on each obligation’s relative standalone selling price. The Company utilizes historical earning patterns to assist in this allocation.
•Fair Value of Rapid Rewards Points - Determined from the base fare value of tickets which were purchased using prior point redemptions for travel and other products and services, which the Company believes to be indicative of the fair value of points as perceived by Customers and representative of the value of each point at the time of redemption. The Company’s booking site allows a Customer to toggle between fares utilizing either cash or point redemptions, which provides the Customer with an approximation of the equivalent value of their points. The value can differ, however, based on demand, the amount of time prior to the
flight, and other factors. The fare mix during the period measured represents a constraint, which could result in the assumptions above changing at the measurement date, as fare classes can have different coefficients used to determine the total loyalty points needed to purchase an award ticket. The mixture of these fare classes and changes in the coefficients used by the Company could cause the fair value per point to increase or decrease.

For points that are expected to remain unused, the Company recognizes spoilage in proportion to the pattern of points used by the Customer, which approximates the average period over which the population of Rapid Reward Members redeem their points. The Company utilizes historical behavioral data to develop a predictive statistical model to analyze the amount of spoilage expected for points sold to business partners and earned through flight. The Company continues to evaluate expected spoilage annually and applies appropriate adjustments in the fourth quarter of each year, or other times, if changes in Customer behavior are detected. Changes to spoilage estimates impact revenue recognition prospectively. Due to the size of the Company’s liability for loyalty benefits, changes in Customer behavior and/or expected future redemption patterns could result in significant variations in Passenger revenue.

The Company allocates consideration received to performance obligations based on the relative fair value of those obligations. The Company has a co-branded credit card agreement (“Agreement”) with Chase Bank USA, N.A. (“Chase”), through which the Company sells loyalty points and certain marketing components, which consist of the use of the Southwest Airlines brand and access to Rapid Rewards Member lists, licensing and advertising elements, and the use of the Company’s resource team. In 2018, Chase and the Company executed a multi-year extension of the Agreement, extending the decades-long relationship between the parties. The Company estimated the selling prices and volumes over the term of the Agreement in order to determine the allocation of proceeds to each of the two performance obligations identified in the Agreement, which have been characterized as a transportation component and a marketing component. The allocations utilized are reviewed to determine if adjustment is necessary any time there is a modification to the Agreement. The Company records Passenger revenue related to loyalty point redemptions for air travel when the travel is delivered, and the marketing elements are recognized as Other revenue when the performance obligations related to those services are satisfied, which is generally the same period consideration is received from Chase.

As performance obligations to Customers are satisfied, the related revenue is recognized. The events that result in revenue recognition that are associated with performance obligations identified as a part of the Rapid Rewards Program are as follows:

•Tickets and Rapid Rewards Points - When a flight occurs, the related performance obligation is satisfied and the related value provided by the Customer, whether from purchased tickets or Rapid Rewards Points, is recognized as revenue.
•Loyalty points redeemed for goods and/or services other than travel - Rapid Rewards Members have the option to redeem points for goods and services offered through a third party vendor, who acts as principal. The performance obligation related to the purchase of these goods and services is satisfied when the good and/or service is delivered to the Customer.
•Marketing Royalties - As part of its Agreement with Chase, Southwest provides certain deliverables, including use of the Southwest Airlines’ brand, access to Rapid Rewards Member lists, advertising elements, and the Company’s resource team. These performance obligations are satisfied each month that the Agreement is active.

As of the years ended December 31, 2020 and 2019, the components of Air traffic liability, including contract liabilities based on tickets sold, unused funds available to the Customer, and loyalty points available for redemption, net of expected spoilage, within the Consolidated Balance Sheet were as follows:
 Balance as of
(in millions)December 31, 2020December 31, 2019
Air traffic liability - passenger travel and ancillary passenger services$2,686 $2,125 
Air traffic liability - loyalty program4,447 3,385 
Total Air traffic liability$7,133 $5,510 

The balance in Air traffic liability - passenger travel and ancillary passenger services also includes unused funds that are available for use by Customers and are not currently associated with a ticket, but represent funds effectively refunded and made available for use to purchase a ticket for a flight that occurs prior to their expiration. These funds are typically created as a result of a prior ticket cancellation or exchange. Rollforwards of the Company's Air traffic liability - loyalty program for the years ended December 31, 2020 and 2019 were as follows (in millions):

Year ended December 31,
20202019
Air traffic liability - loyalty program - beginning balance$3,385 $3,011 
Amounts deferred associated with points awarded1,958 2,941 
Revenue recognized from points redeemed - Passenger(1,003)(2,487)
Revenue recognized from points redeemed - Other(60)(80)
Unused funds converted to loyalty points167 — 
Air traffic liability - loyalty program - ending balance$4,447 $3,385 

Air traffic liability includes consideration received for ticket and loyalty related performance obligations which have not been satisfied as of a given date. Rollforwards of the amounts included in Air traffic liability as of December 31, 2020 and 2019 were as follows (in millions):
 Air traffic liability
Balance at December 31, 2019$5,510 
Current period sales (passenger travel, ancillary services, flight loyalty, and partner loyalty)9,348 
Revenue from amounts included in contract liability opening balances(2,317)
Revenue from current period sales(5,408)
Balance at December 31, 2020$7,133 

 Air traffic liability
Balance at December 31, 2018$5,070 
Current period sales (passenger travel, ancillary services, flight loyalty, and partner loyalty)21,296 
Revenue from amounts included in contract liability opening balances(3,816)
Revenue from current period sales(17,040)
Balance at December 31, 2019$5,510 

During 2020, the Company experienced a significantly higher number of Customer-driven flight cancellations as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. See Note 2 for further information. As a result, the amount of Customer travel funds held by the Company, net of spoilage, that can be redeemed for future travel as of December 31, 2020, far exceeds previous periods and represents approximately 28 percent of the total Air traffic liability balance at December 31, 2020, as compared to approximately 2 percent of the total Air traffic liability balance at December 31, 2019. In order to provide additional flexibility to Customers who hold these funds, the Company has significantly relaxed its previous policies with regards to the time period within which these funds can be redeemed, which is typically twelve months from the original date of purchase. For all Customer travel funds created or scheduled to expire between March 1 and September 7, 2020 associated with flight cancellations, the Company has extended the expiration date to September 7, 2022. At December 31 2020, $2.1 billion of Customer travel funds
remain in Air traffic liability with a September 7, 2022 expiration date. The Company does not have sufficient data to accurately predict the timing of performance obligation satisfaction on these funds due to certain constraints including, but not limited to, consumer confidence, economic health, vaccines, and uncertainty regarding customer travel fund redemption patterns for funds that live longer than 12 months as this is unprecedented in Company history. As a result, recognition of these travel funds as flown revenue, refunds, or spoilage revenue will likely be more volatile from period to period compared to past periods. Further, as presented in the above tables, the Company announced in August 2020 that it would allow qualified travel funds to be converted to Rapid Rewards points through December 15, 2020. Despite the possibility that some of these travel funds may be redeemed beyond the following twelve-month period, the Company has continued to classify them as "current" in the accompanying Consolidated Balance Sheet as they remain a demand liability and the Company does not have sufficient data to enable it to accurately estimate the portion that will not be redeemed for travel in the subsequent twelve months.

Further, as presented in the above tables, the Company provided a benefit to Rapid Reward members to allow qualified travel funds to be converted to Rapid Rewards points through December 15, 2020. Recognition of revenue associated with the Company’s loyalty liability can be difficult to predict, as the number of award seats available to members is not currently restricted and they could choose to redeem their points at any time that a seat is available. The performance obligations classified as a current liability related to the Company’s loyalty program were estimated based on expected redemptions utilizing historical redemption patterns, and forecasted flight availability, fares, and coefficients. The entire balance classified as Air traffic liability—noncurrent relates to loyalty points that were estimated to be redeemed in periods beyond 12 months following the representative balance sheet date. The Company expects the majority of loyalty points to be redeemed within two years.

All performance obligations related to freight services sold are completed within twelve months or less; therefore, the Company has elected to not disclose the amount of the remaining transaction price and its expected timing of recognition for freight shipments.

Other revenues primarily consist of marketing royalties associated with the Company’s co-branded Chase® Visa credit card, but also include commissions and advertising associated with Southwest.com®. All amounts classified as Other revenues are paid monthly, coinciding with the Company fulfilling its deliverables; therefore, the Company has elected to not disclose the amount of the remaining transaction price and its expected timing of recognition for such services provided.

The Company recognized revenue related to the marketing, advertising, and other travel-related benefits of the revenue associated with various loyalty partner agreements including, but not limited to, the Agreement with Chase, within Other operating revenues. For the years ended December 31, 2020, 2019, and 2018 the Company recognized $1.1 billion, $1.3 billion, and $1.1 billion, respectively.
The Company is also required to collect certain taxes and fees from Customers on behalf of government agencies and remit these back to the applicable governmental entity on a periodic basis; however, some of these ticket taxes were suspended during 2020 as allowed by the CARES Act. These taxes and fees include foreign and U.S. federal transportation taxes, federal security charges, and airport passenger facility charges. These items are collected from Customers at the time they purchase their tickets, are excluded from the contract transaction price, and are therefore not included in Passenger revenue. The Company records a liability upon collection from the Customer and relieves the liability when payments are remitted to the applicable governmental agency.