Southwest Airlines Trimming Flights & Crew for a Takeoff

Look­ing for the cheap­est fares? South­west Air­lines just announced some changes that might affect your trav­el plans. Buck­le up for this quick update!

Fac­ing finan­cial tur­bu­lence, South­west is ground­ing flights at 4 air­ports: Cozumel (Mex­i­co), Syra­cuse (NY), Belling­ham (WA), and even Hous­ton’s George Bush Inter­con­ti­nen­tal (they’ll still be at Hob­by Air­port). Ouch! This move comes with a crew reduc­tion of 2,000 as South­west works to cut costs.

But wait, there’s more! South­west is also lim­it­ing new hires and offer­ing vol­un­tary unpaid leave to employ­ees. They’re also rear­rang­ing flight sched­ules to focus on peak trav­el times and make more money.

Why the dra­ma? Like many air­lines, South­west is still feel­ing the effects of the COVID roller­coast­er. Trav­el demand is all over the place, and run­ning an air­line is expen­sive! South­west, along with oth­er air­lines, is just try­ing to stay afloat.

So, what does this mean for you? Check if South­west flies to your favorite air­port. If they’re pulling out, you might need to find a new car­ri­er. And keep an eye out for adjust­ed flight sched­ules if you have an upcom­ing South­west trip.