Printmgr File
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
SOUTHWEST AIRLINES CO. NOTICE OF ANNUAL MEETING OF SHAREHOLDERS THURSDAY, MAY 21, 2020 To the Shareholders: The Annual Meeting of the Shareholders of Southwest Airlines Co. will be held on May 21, 2020. The Annual Meeting will be a completely virtual meeting. You may attend the Annual Meeting online at the following website address: www.virtualshareholdermeeting.com/LUV2020 and by entering the 16-digit control number included on the proxy card you received or in the instructions that accompanied your proxy materials. The Annual meeting will begin at approximately 10:00 a.m., Central Daylight Time, with login beginning at 9:50 a.m. Central Daylight Time via a live webcast on the Internet. The Annual Meeting is being held at www.virtualshareholdermeeting.com/LUV2020 for the following purposes: (1) to elect eleven Directors; (2) to conduct an advisory (non-binding) vote to approve named executive officer compensation; (3) to ratify the selection of Ernst & Young LLP as Southwest’s independent auditors for the fiscal year ending December 31, 2020; (4) if properly presented at the meeting, to consider and conduct an advisory (non-binding) vote on three Shareholder proposals, as described in the accompanying proxy statement; and (5) to transact such other business as may properly come before the meeting or any adjournment or postponement thereof. March 25, 2020, is the date of record for determining Shareholders entitled to receive notice of and to vote at the Annual Meeting or any adjournment or postponement thereof. Your vote is important. As described in your electronic proxy materials notice or on the enclosed proxy or voting instruction card, please vote by: (1) accessing the Internet website, (2) calling the toll-free number, or (3) signing, dating, and mailing the enclosed proxy or voting instruction card. We encourage you to vote via the Internet, as this is the most cost-effective method. In addition, if you vote via the Internet, you may elect to have next year’s Proxy Statement and Annual Report to Shareholders delivered to you electronically. We encourage you to enroll in electronic delivery, as it is a cost-effective way for us to provide you with proxy materials and annual reports. Even if you plan to attend the virtual Annual Meeting, we recommend that you vote your shares in advance, so that your vote will be counted if you later decide not to attend online. By Order of the Board of Directors, Marilyn R. Post Corporate Secretary April 9, 2020 IMPORTANT NOTICE REGARDING THE AVAILABILITY OF PROXY MATERIALS FOR THE 2020 ANNUAL MEETING OF SHAREHOLDERS TO BE HELD ON MAY 21, 2020 Southwest’s Proxy Statement for the 2020 Annual Meeting of Shareholders and Annual Report to Shareholders for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2019 are available at www.southwestairlinesinvestorrelations.com/financials Table of Contents Page GENERAL INFORMATION .................................................................. 1 About the Annual Meeting ................................................................ 1 Voting Procedures ...................................................................... 1 Quorum; Effect of Abstentions and Broker Non-Votes .......................................... 2 PROPOSAL 1 — ELECTION OF DIRECTORS .................................................. 2 CORPORATE GOVERNANCE ............................................................... 8 General ............................................................................... 8 Board Membership and Qualifications ....................................................... 8 Board Leadership Structure ............................................................... 9 Executive Sessions and Communications with Non-Management Directors ......................... 10 Risk Oversight ......................................................................... 10 Committees of the Board ................................................................. 12 Certain Relationships and Related Transactions, and Director Independence ......................... 15 Hedging Transactions .................................................................... 15 VOTING SECURITIES AND PRINCIPAL SHAREHOLDERS ...................................... 16 Security Ownership of Certain Beneficial Owners ............................................. 16 Security Ownership of Management ........................................................ 18 COMPENSATION OF EXECUTIVE OFFICERS ................................................. 19 Compensation Discussion and Analysis ...................................................... 19 Compensation Committee Report .......................................................... 36 Summary Compensation Table ............................................................ 37 CEO Pay Ratio ......................................................................... 38 Grants of Plan-Based Awards in Fiscal 2019 .................................................. 39 Outstanding Equity Awards at Fiscal 2019 Year-End ........................................... 40 Option Exercises and Stock Vested During Fiscal 2019 ......................................... 41 Nonqualified Deferred Compensation in Fiscal 2019 ........................................... 41 Potential Payments Upon Termination or Change-in-Control ..................................... 43 COMPENSATION OF DIRECTORS ........................................................... 46 Fiscal 2019 Director Compensation ......................................................... 46 AUDIT COMMITTEE REPORT ............................................................... 48 PROPOSAL 2 — ADVISORY VOTE TO APPROVE THE COMPENSATION OF THE COMPANY’S NAMED EXECUTIVE OFFICERS ........................................................... 49 PROPOSAL 3 — RATIFICATION OF THE SELECTION OF INDEPENDENT AUDITORS .............. 51 RELATIONSHIP WITH INDEPENDENT AUDITORS ............................................ 51 SHAREHOLDER PROPOSAL — INDEPENDENT BOARD CHAIRMAN (PROPOSAL 4) ............... 52 SHAREHOLDER PROPOSAL — SHAREHOLDER RIGHT TO ACT BY WRITTEN CONSENT (PROPOSAL 5) .......................................................................... 56 SHAREHOLDER PROPOSAL — ANNUAL REPORT ON LOBBYING ACTIVITIES (PROPOSAL 6) ..... 59 OTHER MATTERS ......................................................................... 62 Submission of Shareholder Proposals ....................................................... 62 Conduct of Meeting and Discretionary Authority .............................................. 62 Householding .......................................................................... 63 Costs of Solicitation ..................................................................... 63 APPENDIX A ............................................................................. A-1 Southwest Airlines Co. Audit and Non-Audit Services Preapproval Policy Adopted March 20, 2003 ..... A-1 Southwest Airlines Co. P.O. Box 36611 Dallas, Texas 75235 (214) 792-4000 PROXY STATEMENT FOR ANNUAL MEETING OF SHAREHOLDERS To be Held May 21, 2020 GENERAL INFORMATION This Proxy Statement is being furnished in connection with the solicitation of proxies by and on behalf of the Board of Directors of Southwest Airlines Co. (the “Company” or “Southwest”) for use at the Annual Meeting of Shareholders of the Company to be held virtually on May 21, 2020, at 10:00 a.m., Central Daylight Time, at www.virtualshareholdermeeting.com/LUV2020 or at such other time and place to which the meeting may be adjourned or postponed. The approximate date on which this Proxy Statement and accompanying Proxy are first being sent or given to Shareholders is April 9, 2020. About the Annual Meeting The Annual Meeting will be a completely virtual meeting in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. There will be no physical meeting location and the meeting will only be conducted via live webcast. The virtual Annual Meeting will be held on May 21, 2020 at 10:00 a.m., Central Daylight Time. To participate in the meeting, visit www.virtualshareholdermeeting.com/LUV2020 and enter your 16-digit control number included on the proxy card you received or in the instructions that accompanied your proxy materials. Online login will begin at 9:50 a.m. Central Daylight Time. Please allow time for online login procedures. If you encounter any difficulties accessing the virtual Annual Meeting during login or in the course of the meeting, please contact the phone number found on the login page at www.virtualshareholdermeeting.com/LUV2020. References in the Proxy Materials to the “Annual Meeting” also refer to any adjournments, postponements or changes in location of the Annual Meeting, to the extent applicable. Voting Procedures A representative of Broadridge Financial Solutions, Inc. will tabulate votes and serve as Inspector of Election for the meeting. Each Shareholder will be entitled to one vote for each share with respect to each matter to be voted on at the meeting. A “Shareholder of record” is a person or entity who holds shares on the record date that are registered in such Shareholder’s name on the records of Southwest’s transfer agent. A person or entity who holds shares through a broker, bank, or other nominee is considered a “beneficial owner” of the shares. You may receive more than one set of proxy materials. This means your shares are held in more than one account. Please vote all of your shares. Voting by Shareholders of Record. If you are a Shareholder of record, you may vote (i) through the Internet