Southwest Cuts Atlanta Flights to Cut back Losses

Skift Take

Simply sooner or later earlier than its investor day, Southwest introduced it could reduce a few of its Atlanta service, impacting round 300 pilot and flight attendant positions.

Meghna Maharishi

Southwest Airways stated Wednesday that it could cut back service and workers in Atlanta as a result of a scarcity of demand. 

The cuts will impression round 300 pilots and flight attendants, based on CNBC. Southwest stated all workers impacted by the cuts can be given the possibility to switch and the adjustments wouldn’t happen for at the very least one other six months. 

“We merely can not afford continued losses and should make this modification to assist restore our profitability,” Southwest stated in an inner memo, based on the CNBC report. 

Southwest additionally stated it plans to extend its flying to Nashville, including six new markets to town. 

“We proceed to optimize our community to satisfy Buyer demand, greatest make the most of our fleet, and maximize income alternatives,” Southwest stated in a press release. 

Cuts Depart Pilots and Flight Attendants Pissed off

The cuts are anticipated to impression 140 pilot positions and 200 flight attendant positions in Atlanta, based on unions. Southwest Airways Pilots Affiliation was vital of the cuts, saying they had been as a result of “administration’s inaction.”

“It’s merely superb that the airline with the strongest community within the historical past of our trade is now retreating in a significant market as a result of this administration group has didn’t evolve and innovate,” the pilots union stated in a memo despatched to members Wednesday morning. 

Southwest plans to disclose extra adjustments at its investor day on Thursday. The service has struggled this previous 12 months with plane supply delays, altering shopper preferences and strain from an activist investor. To this point, Southwest has unveiled premium seating and red-eye flights as methods to spice up its profitability. 

The service’s flights additionally began showing on Google Flights and Kayak, a transfer it had resisted for years to keep away from distribution prices and to construct a extra loyal buyer base. 

Activist investor Elliott Funding Administration stated on Tuesday it may name a particular assembly as early as subsequent week the place it may elect new members to Southwest’s board to drive adjustments.