We’ve steadily increased our focus on environmental sustainability which includes taking a multi-pronged approach with our long- and near-term environmental sustainability goals and targets. In addition to our goal to achieve carbon neutrality by 2050, last October, Southwest Airlines announced our 10-year environmental sustainability plan to maintain carbon neutrality to 2019 levels while continuing to grow our operations each year through 2030 by working on key focus areas, including carbon offsetting! Carbon offsets are tradeable rights generated from projects that reduce, capture, or avoid a certain amount of carbon emissions, and those rights can be purchased from those projects to offset an equal amount of carbon emissions from activities like flying.
Customers have expressed interest in ways that they can show the planet some love while traveling, and we were happy to launch our carbon offset program as an option! Through this program, Customers can contribute funds to help with the purchase of carbon offsets for Southwest at Southwest.com/wannaoffsetcarbon, and for every dollar a Customer contributes toward offsetting Southwest’s carbon emissions1, Southwest will match the contribution2. Our program also provides Customers the opportunity to earn 10 Rapid Rewards bonus points2 per dollar contributed to help Southwest® offset its carbon emissions1, up to a maximum of 500 Rapid Rewards bonus points per month2.
To celebrate one year of our carbon offset program, starting Oct. 14, we are launching our Take off. Give back. Promotion. Between Oct. 14 and Oct. 30, Southwest Customers now have the opportunity to contribute to help us offset our carbon emissions and earn even more Rapid Rewards bonus points!
Promotion details:
- By visiting southwest.com/wannaoffsetcarbon Members can earn 20 Rapid Rewards bonus points3 per dollar contributed toward helping us offset our carbon emissions1 up to a maximum of 500 Rapid Rewards bonus points per month3.
- For every dollar Customers contribute, Southwest will increase its typical one dollar contribution by pitching in two dollars3.
We are also proud to share that we have purchased offsets equivalent to the carbon emissions generated by our Employee business4 and Charitable5 travel for 2021 through a donation to Carbonfund, a non-profit that provides carbon offsetting and greenhouse gas reduction options to individuals, businesses, and organizations. We also plan to purchase offsets equivalent to the carbon emissions from those categories generated throughout 2022. The funds used to purchase the 2021 offsets came from the Southwest Airlines Foundation, a corporate advised fund facilitated by Silicon Valley Community Foundation.
1Carbon emissions for flight activity are estimated using several factors such as aircraft type, conventional jet fuel consumption, flight distance, and assumed load factor. Emission estimates are based on the fleet wide distance-weighted average performance of Southwest’s flights from the Second Quarter of 2022. Southwest’s emissions estimates do not quantify the potential climate change impact of non-carbon emissions resulting from a flight. Actual carbon emissions may vary from estimates. All offsets will be retired in the name of Southwest Airlines Co.
2Taxes and fees (except for the processing fee) will not be matched by Southwest or earn points. Rapid Rewards® Members can earn 10 Rapid Rewards bonus points per dollar contributed towards the purchase of offsets for Southwest up to a maximum of 500 Rapid Rewards bonus points per month. Points will only be awarded to the Member’s Rapid Rewards account number entered at the time of the carbon offset transaction. All offsets will be retired in the name of Southwest Airlines Co. Terms and conditions apply.
3Taxes and fees (except for the processing fee) will not be matched by Southwest® or earn points. From October 14 through October 31, 2022 (the “Promotional Period”), Rapid Rewards® Members can earn 20 Rapid Rewards bonus points per dollar contributed towards the purchase of offsets for Southwest up to a maximum of 500 Rapid Rewards bonus points per month. Points will only be awarded to the Member’s Rapid Rewards account number entered at the time of the carbon offset transaction. Terms and conditions apply.
4Company Non-Revenue Must Ride (NRMR) flights, inclusive of all frontline and headquarters employees’ work-related travel, including deadheading Employees. This excludes flights flown on other airlines.
5 E-passes donated to national and local charitable partners and programs.