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Worldwide Pandemic (Details) $ / shares in Units, $ in Millions	3 Months Ended			9 Months Ended		60 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2020 USD ($) employees shares	Jun. 30, 2020 USD ($)	Sep. 30, 2019 USD ($)	Sep. 30, 2020 USD ($) employees shares	Sep. 30, 2019 USD ($)	Apr. 19, 2030	Jul. 30, 2020 USD ($)	May 29, 2020 USD ($)	Apr. 21, 2020 USD ($)	Apr. 09, 2020 $ / shares	Mar. 30, 2020 USD ($)	Dec. 31, 2019 USD ($)
Proceeds from term loan credit facility	$ 0		$ 0	$ 3,683	$ 0
Effective Income Tax Rate Reconciliation, at Federal Statutory Income Tax Rate, Percent				25.90%	22.00%
Proceeds from Payroll Support Program Grant	$ 3,400			$ 3,400
Cash Raised, Net of Fees				$ 18,900
Proceeds from Payroll Support Program Grant Received in April									$ 1,600
Proceeds from Payroll Support Program Grant Received in May								$ 652
Proceeds from Payroll Support Program Grant Received in June 2020		$ 652
Voluntary Separation Program 2020 Participants | employees	4,200			4,200
Voluntary Separation Program 2020 Accrual for Employees who Accepted through June 30, 2020		307
Proceeds from Payroll Support Program Grant Received in July 2020							$ 326
Proceeds from Payroll Support Program Grant Received in September 2020	$ 94			$ 94
Voluntary Separation Program 2020 and Extended Emergency Time Off Total Accrued	1,207	$ 307		$ 1,207
Extended Emergency Time Off Accrual for Employees who Accepted through September 30, 2020	$ 613
Number of Aircraft Grounded Under Emergency Order	34			34
Number of Aircraft in Long-Term Storage	104			104
Proceeds from Payroll Support Program Grant Allocated to Fund Salaries, Wages, and Benefits	$ 1,200
Costs Incurred for Voluntary Separation 2020 and Extended ETO	1,100
Goodwill	$ 970			$ 970								$ 970
Option to Convert to Voluntary Separation Program 2020 [Member]
Extended Emergency Time Off Period	12 months
Minimum
Extended Emergency Time Off Period	6 months
Maximum
Extended Emergency Time Off Period	18 months
Customer Support and Service [Member]
Voluntary Separation Program 2020 Participants | employees	390			390
Ground Operations and Provisioning [Member]
Voluntary Separation Program 2020 Participants | employees	1,060			1,060
Flight Attendants [Member]
Voluntary Separation Program 2020 Participants | employees	725			725
Pilots [Member]
Voluntary Separation Program 2020 Participants | employees	630			630
Pilots [Member] | Maximum
Extended Emergency Time Off Period	5 years
Contract groups [Member]
Voluntary Separation Program 2020 Participants | employees	90			90
Managerial and Administrative [Member]
Voluntary Separation Program 2020 Participants | employees	1,140			1,140
Maintenance [Member]
Voluntary Separation Program 2020 Participants | employees	185			185
LUV Common Stock Warrants
Class of Warrant or Right, Outstanding | shares	2,700,000			2,700,000
Class of Warrant or Right, Exercise Price of Warrants or Rights | $ / shares										$ 36.47
Warrants and Rights Outstanding	$ 40			$ 40
Use Rights [Member]
Indefinite-Lived Domestic Slots and Routes	$ 295			$ 295
CARES Act Unsecured Loan | Unsecured Debt
Stated interest rate	1.00%			1.00%
Unsecured Debt | Forecast | Secured Overnight Financing Rate (SOFR) Overnight Index Swap Rate
Basis spread on variable rate (percent) April 21, 2025 and beyond						2.00%
1.0 Payroll Support Program Loan due 2030 | Unsecured Debt
Stated interest rate	1.00%			1.00%
Carrying amount of debt	$ 976			$ 976
Accordian Feature to Amended 364-Day Term Loan Credit Facility [Member] | Amended 364-Day Term Loan Credit Facility
Accordian Feature on Short-term Debt											$ 417

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