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FinanceSouthwest Airlines

Southwest Airlines prepares its first sweeping layoffs ever, slashing 15% of its workforce

By
Alex Veiga
Alex Veiga
and
The Associated Press
The Associated Press
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By
Alex Veiga
Alex Veiga
and
The Associated Press
The Associated Press
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February 18, 2025, 4:59 AM ET
A Southwest Airlines Boeing 737-7H4 departs Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport for Houston on Jan. 22, 2025 in Arlington, Va.
A Southwest Airlines Boeing 737-7H4 departs Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport for Houston on Jan. 22, 2025 in Arlington, Va. Kevin Carter—Getty Images
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Southwest Airlines is eliminating 1,750 jobs, or 15% of its corporate workforce, in the first major layoffs in the company’s 53-year history.

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The Dallas-based airline said Monday that the job cuts would be focused almost entirely on “corporate overhead and leadership positions,” including senior leadership and directors. Eleven senior leadership positions, representing 15% of the company’s senior management committee, are being eliminated.

The job cuts, which are scheduled to be mostly completed by the end of June, are part of a plan by the airline to slash costs and transform the company into a “leaner, faster, and more agile organization,” Southwest CEO Bob Jordan said in a statement.

“This decision is unprecedented in our 53-year history, and change requires that we make difficult decisions,” Jordan said.

Southwest estimated that the job cuts will save the company about $210 million this year and roughly $300 million in 2026.

In November, the airline offered buyouts and extended leaves of absence to airport workers, including customer service agents, baggage handlers and cargo workers, in a bid to avoid “overstaffing in certain locations.”

The company has been under pressure from hedge fund Elliott Investment Management to increase profits and boost the stock price, which has fallen sharply since early 2021. Southwest shares are down 9.9% so far this year.

The two sides reached a truce in October to avoid a proxy fight, but Elliott won several seats on the Southwest board, which it can use to keep pressure on Jordan and other executives.

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