Southwest plans to cut flights in Atlanta while adding them elsewhere. Its unions are unhappy
Southwest Airlines is planning to cut about one-third of its flights in Atlanta next year to save money, and employees affected by the change are furious
DALLAS — Southwest Airlines plans to eliminate about one-third of its flights to Atlanta next year to save money as it comes under pressure from a hedge fund to increase profits and boost the airline’s stock price.
The retreat in Atlanta, where Southwest is far smaller than Delta Air Lines, will eliminate more than 300 jobs for pilots and flight attendants, although they will have a chance to relocate, according to the company.
A Southwest official said Wednesday the airline needs to cut unprofitable routes, and “demand for Atlanta doesn't support our level of flying.”
While the airline's planners “try everything they can before making hard decisions like this one, we have to make this change to help drive us back to profitability,” the Atlanta-based official, Tiffany Laurent, said in a memo to employees.
Shares of Dallas-based Southwest fell 4.6%.
Southwest executives are expected to detail other changes that it plans to make when it holds an investor meeting Thursday. The session is in response to Elliott Investment Management’s campaign to shake up Southwest’s leadership and reverse a decline in profits over the past three years.
Southwest will cut 58 flights per day and reduce its presence at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport from 18 to 11 gates, according to the Southwest Airlines Pilots Association, which says the news is painful for Atlanta-based employees.
“It is simply amazing that the airline with the strongest network in the history of our industry is now retreating in a major market because this management group has failed to evolve and
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