Southwest Airlines VP of cargo Wally Devereaux to retire

Southwest Airlines’ top cargo executive is leaving the company after a 33-year career that started as a customer service agent at the Dallas Love Field home base and helped cement the carrier’s strong reputation for customer service in the logistics community.

Wally Devereaux, the vice president of cargo and provisioning at Southwest, announced on LinkedIn Thursday that he will retire at the end of March. He transitioned to the cargo department 26 years ago, moved up to director of sales in 2007 and was promoted to cargo chief three years ago.

During Devereaux’s tenure, Southwest Airlines was named Domestic Airline of the Year by the Airforwarders Association for at least 15 consecutive years. Southwest is a favorite of many air forwarders for domestic air transport because of its reliability, speed, thousands of daily flights and extensive point-to-point network. In 2020, he was instrumental in the company’s launch of a new cargo tracking system that uses bar coding to confirm the onboard status of shipments and provide timely updates during the journey. 

“On February 2, 1992, I got my first job out of college with Southwest Airlines as a Customer Service Agent at Dallas Love Field. A little over 33 years later I’ve decided it’s time to call it a career. I am beyond thankful for the amazing opportunities Southwest Airlines has provided me for all these years. One in particular led me to the Cargo Team in 1999 where it felt like I found my calling,” Devereaux wrote. “I have loved the business of Cargo, and I have absolutely loved being part of this incredible Team for over 25 years. I’ve also been lucky enough along the way to spend time with our Charters and Provisioning Teams which I’m incredibly thankful for as well. Thank you sincerely for the time together and the great memories!”

“Wally is a leader in the U.S. air cargo market and leads a team that treats their customers like family.  

During his time at Southwest has seen it grow from 200 aircraft to over 800 aircraft. Wally is known for his ‘ ‘let’s get it done’ attitude, but he always recognizes the coworkers that make cargo move,” said Michael White, an air cargo expert with years of experience at United Airlines and various trade associations, said in an email message. “His spirit to always be there for his coworkers and customers is what makes the Southwest Spirit so strong.”  

A Southwest Airlines spokesperson said the company plans to soon name Devereaux’s successor.

“We appreciate Wally’s longstanding support of the Southwest mission and his work to grow the Cargo business into what it is today,” the airline said in a statement provided to FreightWaves.

Devereaux received an outpouring of appreciation on LinkedIn, with nearly 600 likes and more than 180 comments from friends, competitors and industry colleagues who expressed what a positive influence he had on their lives

“Thank you for the many contributions to build Southwest. You’re a great example of a servant leader,” said Tamra Butler, a senior manager at Southwest. Rob Lewin, who is retired, called Devereaux “one of the great gentlemen of the logistics industry.” Another individual said Devereaux’s most memorable quality is his “ability to bring humor and heart to the table of every effort no matter how big the challenge.”

The cargo chief is expected to receive more well wishes and thanks on Monday and Tuesday from attendees at the Air Cargo 2025 conference, which is being held this year near Southwest’s headquarters in the Dallas suburbs. 

Click here for more FreightWaves/American Shipper stories by Eric Kulisch.

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