Despite being headquartered in Dallas, Southwest Airlines’ largest hubs lie outside of its home state. Southwest Airlines’ largest hubs are Denver International Airport and Chicago Midway, with over 10.3 and 9.6 million Southwest passengers handled at the respective airports.
After the merger of Orlando-based AirTran Airways in late 2014 under the Southwest Airlines brand, the company’s operating income almost doubled, from 2.2 billion U.S. dollars to 4.1 billion U.S. dollars in 2015. The merger also provided growth on the domestic passenger market. In 2015, Southwest Airlines became the leading carrier in terms of market share and surpassed its main competitors, American Airlines and Delta Air Lines. The airline was not able to maintain its domestic supremacy but remained the third largest airline in the domestic market in the United States in 2022.