Southwest Airlines is making major changes to its operations in Atlanta, announcing plans to reduce service and staffing levels next year.
According to an internal memo, the airline will cut more than 300 pilot and flight attendant positions as part of a broader cost-cutting strategy.
Reduced Presence in Atlanta
Starting in April 2025, Southwest will reduce its Atlanta presence to 11 gates, down from the current 18. The airline’s service from Atlanta will also shrink to 21 cities. This is a significant decrease from the 37 cities it currently serves as of March 2024.
Despite these cuts, Southwest clarified it isn’t closing its Atlanta crew base. However, affected pilots and flight attendants will likely need to bid for positions in other cities.
The memo said as many as 200 flight attendants and 140 pilots could be affected by these changes.
The airline is not laying off employees but will require them to seek employment opportunities at other locations.
Why the Cuts?
Southwest’s decision comes amid mounting pressure from activist investor Elliott Investment Management. It was made one day before the airline’s investor day. Executives will outline their cost-cutting and revenue growth strategies.
The airline emphasized it had tried to avoid making such difficult decisions but found them necessary to restore profitability.
The memo said:
“Although we try everything we can before making difficult decisions like this one, we simply cannot afford continued losses and must make this change to help restore our profitability.”
The airline made it clear the decision does not reflect the performance of its Atlanta employees.
Southwest is facing a challenging market environment, grappling with changing booking patterns, oversupply in certain U.S. markets, and aircraft delivery delays from Boeing.
The airline’s yet-to-be-certified 737 Max 7 airplanes are years behind schedule, contributing to operational difficulties.
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Union Response and Employee Concerns
The unions representing Southwest’s pilots and flight attendants have criticized the airline’s decision to cut staffing and service, arguing management is failing both employees and customers.
Bill Bernal, the president of the flight attendants’ union, said:
“Southwest Airlines management is failing Employees while impacting Customers. Management continues to make decisions that lack full transparency, sufficient communication with Union leadership, and most alarmingly, a lack of focus on what has made the airline great, the Employees.”
Southwest’s COO, Andrew Watterson, also addressed staff last week, stating that the airline would have to make “difficult decisions” to improve profitability.
These recent changes reflect part of the company’s broader strategy to optimize its network and maximize revenue opportunities.
Adjustments to Other Services
In addition to reducing its operations in Atlanta, Southwest Airlines has also adjusted its broader service strategy.
The airline has announced enhancing its service to and from Nashville, Tennessee. Furthermore, it will begin offering overnight flights from Hawaii starting April 8, 2025.
These flights will connect Honolulu, Kona, and Maui to destinations like Las Vegas and Phoenix, expanding Southwest’s footprint in the competitive travel market.
What’s Next for Southwest?
These changes are part of a series of adjustments Southwest has made in recent years to adapt to evolving market conditions and customer preferences.
The airline has already pulled out of certain airports it had experimented with during the pandemic to focus on more profitable routes.
In July, Southwest announced it would make the biggest changes in its 50-year history, moving away from open seating and introducing extra legroom on its airplanes, indicating a willingness to adapt its longstanding business model.
Southwest confirmed the changes and reiterated its commitment to “optimize our network to meet customer demand, best utilize our fleet, and maximize revenue opportunities.”
