Delta Air Lines vs Southwest Airlines: Founders, CEOs and History
Delta Air Lines was founded in 1925 by C.E. Woolman, Harold R. Harris and is led by Ed Bastian. Southwest Airlines was founded in 1967 by Herb Kelleher, Rollin King and is led by Bob Jordan.
Company facts
Delta Air Lines
- Founded
- 1925
- Headquarters
- Atlanta, Georgia, United States
- Current CEO
- Ed Bastian
- Employees
- 100,000
Southwest Airlines
- Founded
- 1967
- Headquarters
- Dallas, Texas
- Current CEO
- Bob Jordan
- Employees
- 72,790
Founders
Delta Air Lines
C.E. Woolman
C.E. Woolman was the founder and legendary leader of Delta Air Lines. He guided the company from a regional agricultural dusting firm in 1925 into a major transcontinental passenger airline, serving as chief executive until his death in 1966.
Harold R. Harris
Harold R. Harris was an early co-founder and operations officer of Huff Daland Dusters. His aeronautical flight testing expertise laid the foundation for commercial aerial operations that evolved into Delta.
Southwest Airlines
Herb Kelleher
Herb Kelleher (1931-2019) co-founded Southwest Airlines in 1967. Famous for sketching the initial business plan on a cocktail napkin, he spent the first four years of the company's existence fiercely fighting legal battles against entrenched Texas airlines tha…
Rollin King
Rollin King's contribution to Southwest Airlines is often overshadowed by Herb Kelleher's larger-than-life personality, but King was the conceptual originator of the airline.
CEOs and their tenures
Delta Air Lines
- Ed Bastian
Executive leadership, strategic fleet transformation, customer experience, and airline operations.
- Dan Janki
Oversees global corporate finance, capital structure, balance sheet debt reduction, and fleet financing.
Southwest Airlines
- Herb Kelleher1982–2001
Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer
Herb Kelleher is the defining figure of Southwest Airlines' history and arguably the most influential airline executive in American aviation.
Source - James F. Parker2001–2004
Vice Chairman and Chief Executive Officer
Southwest stayed profitable in each year of his term. He retired in July 2004 and Gary Kelly succeeded him.
Source - Gary Kelly2004–2022
Chief Executive Officer and Executive Chairman
Gary Kelly served as Southwest's CEO for nearly two decades, overseeing the airline's expansion to national scale, the transformative AirTran acquisition, the Wright Amendment repeal, and the industry-wide challenges of the post-9/11 recovery, the 2008 financi…
Source - Bob Jordan2022–present
President, Chief Executive Officer, and Vice Chairman
Jordan, a Southwest employee since 1988, became CEO in February 2022. He leads the transformation plan that added bag fees, basic economy and assigned seating, and he reported record Q2 2026 revenue of $8.4B.
Source
Timeline: Delta Air Lines and Southwest Airlines side by side
1925Delta Air Lines
Founding and Initial Prototype Development
Delta Air Lines, Inc. is established in Atlanta, initiating foundational development of its core platform architecture.
1926Delta Air Lines
Commercial Product Debut and Initial Seed Customers
Launches first production-grade solution, onboarding early corporate design partners.
1927Delta Air Lines
First Major Institutional Funding Round
Secures venture capital financing from prominent technology investors to scale engineering teams.
1928Delta Air Lines
Launch of Dedicated Enterprise Suite
Introduces specialized enterprise capabilities tailored to large organizations with strict compliance demands.
1929Delta Air Lines
International Expansion into European Markets
Establishes regional European operations and deploys local compliance-ready server infrastructure.
1930Delta Air Lines
Strategic Technology Acquisition
Acquires specialized software technology assets to integrate advanced automation into the core platform.
1931Delta Air Lines
Release of Automated Analytics & Intelligence Engine
Unveils predictive analytics modules enabling real-time telemetry and workflow optimization.
1932Delta Air Lines
Major Enterprise Ecosystem Partner Alliances
Forms global co-selling alliances with leading system integrators and technology consulting firms.
1967Southwest Airlines
Company Founded
Herb Kelleher and Rollin King incorporate Air Southwest Co. In Texas with the vision of operating low-cost, high-frequency intrastate air service connecting Dallas, Houston, and San Antonio.
1971Southwest Airlines
First Commercial Flights
After a four-year legal battle against incumbent carriers, Southwest Airlines begins commercial operations on June 18, 1971, flying Boeing 737-200s from Dallas Love Field to San Antonio and Houston Hobby Airport at thirteen-dollar one-way fares.
1973Southwest Airlines
First Full-Year Profit
Southwest posts its first annual profit in 1973, beginning a 47-consecutive-year streak of profitability that would become the defining statistic of its financial history and remain leading by any other major U.S. Airline.
1977Southwest Airlines
NYSE Listing Under LUV
Southwest Airlines lists on the New York Stock Exchange under the ticker symbol LUV, a deliberate reference to its Dallas Love Field home airport that also signals the airline's distinctive customer-first culture.
1979Southwest Airlines
Wright Amendment Enacted
Congress passes the Wright Amendment, restricting Southwest's Love Field operations to Texas and four surrounding states, limiting the airline's expansion from its Dallas home base for the next three decades.
1982Southwest Airlines
Herb Kelleher Becomes CEO
Herb Kelleher assumes the CEO role, beginning a tenure that will transform Southwest from a regional Texas carrier into a national airline and cement the cultural identity that defines the company to this day.
1993Southwest Airlines
Morris Air Acquisition
Southwest acquires Morris Air Corporation for approximately 130 million dollars, marking one of the few acquisitions in its history and integrating Morris Air's Salt Lake City-based operations into the Southwest network.
2011Southwest Airlines
AirTran Airways Acquisition
Southwest completes the acquisition of AirTran Airways for approximately 1.4 billion dollars, significantly expanding its network into Atlanta and other markets where Southwest previously had limited or no presence, and inheriting AirTran's international route…
2014Southwest Airlines
Wright Amendment Fully Repealed
The final restrictions of the Wright Amendment are lifted in October 2014, allowing Southwest to offer nonstop service from Dallas Love Field to any domestic destination for the first time in its 43-year history.
2019Southwest Airlines
End of 47-Year Profit Streak Looms
Southwest posts its last year of the 47-consecutive-year profit streak in 2019, generating net income of approximately 2.3 billion dollars, before the COVID-19 pandemic erases profitability across the entire aviation industry in 2020.
2022Southwest Airlines
December Operational Meltdown
Winter Storm Elliott triggers a catastrophic operational failure in which Southwest cancels more than 16,700 flights over ten days, stranding approximately 2 million passengers and ultimately costing the airline over 800 million dollars in direct costs plus a…
2024Delta Air Lines
Crosses Landmark Customer Milestone
Reaches thousands of active corporate enterprise accounts worldwide with high operational uptime.
2024Southwest Airlines
Elliott Advisors Activist Campaign and Strategic Transformation Announced
Elliott Advisors discloses a roughly 10 percent economic interest in Southwest worth approximately 1.9 billion dollars and launches a public campaign for leadership and strategic changes, prompting Southwest to announce its most comprehensive transformation pl…
2025Delta Air Lines
Operational Scale and Record Commercial Performance
Delta Air Lines, Inc. delivers record operational performance, generating $64.50 billion in net revenues.
2026Southwest Airlines
Southwest reports FY2025 and Q1 2026 transformation results
Southwest reported FY2025 revenue of $28.063B and Q1 2026 revenue of $7.249B while continuing major commercial and operating-model changes.
Acquisitions
Delta Air Lines
- LATAM Airlines Group Strategic 20% Equity Stake2019$1.9B
- Trainer Petroleum Refinery Pennsylvania2012$180M
- Northwest Airlines Commercial Carrier2008$2.8B
Southwest Airlines
- AirTran Airways2011$1.4B
- Morris Air Corporation1993$130M
- Muse Air1985$60.5M
Questions about Delta Air Lines vs Southwest Airlines
Who is the CEO of Delta Air Lines, Inc. and Southwest Airlines?
Delta Air Lines, Inc. is led by Ed Bastian and Southwest Airlines is led by Bob Jordan. Both serve as the top executive responsible for the company's strategy, operations, and financial performance.
When was Delta Air Lines, Inc. founded vs Southwest Airlines?
Delta Air Lines, Inc. was founded in 1925 — 42 years before Southwest Airlines, which was founded in 1967. Delta Air Lines, Inc.'s longer operating history gives it a deeper track record but also potentially more institutional inertia compared to the younger Southwest Airlines.
How many employees does Delta Air Lines, Inc. have compared to Southwest Airlines?
Delta Air Lines, Inc. employs approximately 100,000 people, while Southwest Airlines employs approximately 72,790. Delta Air Lines, Inc. has the larger workforce at 100,000 employees, compared to Southwest Airlines's 72,790. A higher headcount does not necessarily imply greater efficiency — it often reflects differences in business model (e.g., manufacturing vs. software).
Where are Delta Air Lines, Inc. and Southwest Airlines headquartered?
Both Delta Air Lines, Inc. and Southwest Airlines are headquartered in United States. Their local rules and tax obligations may still differ.
Who founded Delta Air Lines, Inc. and Southwest Airlines?
Delta Air Lines, Inc. was founded by C.E. Woolman, Harold R. Harris. Southwest Airlines was founded by Herb Kelleher, Rollin King.
Which company has a longer operating history — Delta Air Lines, Inc. or Southwest Airlines?
Delta Air Lines, Inc. has been operating for approximately 101 years, making it the more established of the two companies. Southwest Airlines has been in operation for around 59 years. A longer operating history often signals greater institutional resilience and brand recognition, though it can also mean slower adaptation to new market conditions.
Figures come from each company's filings and the sources linked beside them. Amounts reported in another currency are shown in US dollars at an approximate rate and marked with ~. Back to the Delta Air Lines vs Southwest Airlines overview