How Southwest Airlines Automates Endpoint Management to Enhance Operations

The Shift to Digital Tools at Southwest

Southwest Airlines has undergone a significant digital transformation over the past decade, moving from paper-based processes to mobile and cloud solutions for its frontline workforce. This includes ground operations, maintenance crews, flight operations, and cabin staff, who now rely on smartphones, tablets, and cloud applications instead of printed manuals. For instance, pilots and gate agents use mobile devices to access real-time data, replacing bulky binders and reducing delays.

Today, roughly two-thirds of Southwest’s 72,000 employees work in frontline roles, and the company’s IT infrastructure has scaled accordingly. The end-user computing team supports approximately 50,000 smartphones and tablets, 20,000 laptops, and 15,000 desktop PCs. As digital tools become more integral, any device failure can quickly ripple through operations, especially given the tight turnaround times for Southwest’s fleet of 800 Boeing 737 aircraft.

The Challenge of Endpoint Management

With such a massive device fleet, hardware or software issues can directly impact customers. A gate agent dealing with a system glitch, for example, slows down boarding—creating longer lines and frustrated passengers. Derek Whisenhunt, head of end-user computing at Southwest, highlights this pain point: “If you go up to a customer service or a gate agent and you can see the line start to extend, or the customers start to get frustrated while the agent’s on the phone, that’s either a ticket issue or a system issue. We’re impacting the employees’ experience and our customers’ experience, and drastically affecting our ability to turn aircraft.”

To avoid such scenarios, Southwest needed a proactive, rather than reactive, approach to endpoint operations. Instead of waiting for problems to arise and then troubleshooting, the IT team wanted to prevent issues before they affect employees and passengers.

A Proactive Approach with DEX and Automation

Leveraging Nexthink’s DEX Platform

Several years ago, Southwest deployed a digital employee experience (DEX) application from Nexthink. DEX software monitors how employees interact with workplace technology—tracking device performance, application reliability, and IT support interactions. Initially used for insights, the tool has evolved into a proactive remediation system. “We now focus our team’s time on proactive and preventative work and increasing the digital employee experience,” says Whisenhunt.

Today, Southwest’s endpoint management team of 14 staff includes a dedicated DEX operations group and a forward-looking DEX engineering team. The operations team monitors device health and identifies trends, while the engineering team deploys new features and manages automations.

Automating Remediation

Automation plays a central role in Southwest’s strategy. The DEX platform can automatically apply fixes to common issues—such as clearing cache, restarting services, or updating configurations—without manual intervention. This reduces downtime and frees up IT staff to focus on strategic improvements. For instance, if a device’s battery health drops below a threshold, the system can trigger a notification for replacement before it fails during a shift. This level of autopilot operation ensures that endpoint issues rarely escalate into customer-facing problems.

“Bottom line is we now focus our team’s time on proactive and preventative work and not waiting for issues to arise,” Whisenhunt explains. The combination of AI-driven analytics and automated actions has transformed Southwest IT from a reactive help desk into a strategic partner in the business.

Improving Employee and Customer Experience

The results speak for themselves: fewer device-related delays, higher employee satisfaction, and smoother operations at gates and maintenance hubs. By catching problems early—or preventing them entirely—Southwest keeps its aircraft turning on schedule, which is critical for a low-cost carrier. As the airline continues to digitize frontline workflows, the DEX and automation framework will only become more essential.

Whisenhunt emphasizes the personal stake: “To me, it’s very personal. We’re impacting the employees’ experience and our customers’ experience. In just that one scenario, we’re drastically impacting our ability to turn aircraft.” By putting endpoint operations on autopilot, Southwest ensures that its digital tools work seamlessly—every time, for every employee.