Southwest Airlines Cuts 20,000 Flights, Increases Hiring to Prepare for Travelers

Dallas-based Southwest Airlines is cutting nearly 20,000 flights from its summer flight schedule and accelerating efforts to hire new employees as it readies for a busier summer travel season.

According to a report by our media partners at The Dallas Morning News, along with delays in aircraft orders, Southwest like other airlines and companies across the economy is trying to adjust on the fly to supply chain and labor shortages crimping the COVID-19 pandemic recovery, even as consumer spending remains strong.

Southwest, which announced another quarter of pandemic-era losses on Thursday, cut about 20,000 flights between June and Labor Day and pushed up hiring plans by another 2,000 workers, bringing the goal to 10,000 net new workers for the year.

Southwest outlined its summer plans as it reported $278 million in first-quarter losses and $4.7 billion in revenue, down 8.8% from the same quarter in 2019. The company said it expects to make a profit for the remainder of 2022.