Southwest To Exit 4 Airports and Limit Hiring
Southwest Airlines announced Thursday it will exit four airports after reporting increased losses in the first quarter. Boeing delivery delays are also blamed for the cutbacks.
The four affected airports are Bellingham International Airport in Washington state, Cozumel International Airport in Mexico, Syracuse Hancock International Airport in New York and Houston’s George Bush Intercontinental Airport. It will also cut capacity in markets like Chicago and Atlanta.
The Dallas-based airline also said it will limit hiring and offer voluntary time off programs as it now expects to receive just 20 aircraft this year, instead of 46.
“The recent news from Boeing regarding further aircraft delivery delays presents significant challenges for both 2024 and 2025,” said Southwest CEO Bob Jordan in the company’s first-quarter financial results statement. “We are reacting and replanning quickly to mitigate the operational and financial impacts while maintaining dependable and reliable flight schedules for our Customers”.
In its quarterly financial report on Thursday, Southwest announced it lost $218 million excluding special items, or 36 cents a share, in the first quarter. That was up from $163 million a year ago. The loss came despite record first-quarter revenue of $6.3 billion, up 11% from a year earlier.
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