CHICAGO, ILLINOIS - FEBRUARY 18: A Southwest Airlines jet prepares to land at Chicago Midway International Airport on February 18, 2025 in Chicago, Illinois. The airline said it plans to layoff 1,750 employees, marking the first broad layoffs in the company's history. (Photo by Scott Olson/Getty Images)
A Southwest Airlines jet prepares to land at Chicago Midway International Airport on February 18, 2025 in Chicago, Illinois. The airline said it plans to layoff 1,750 employees, marking the first broad layoffs in the company’s history. (Photo by Scott Olson/Getty Images)

OAN Staff James Meyers
11:12 AM – Wednesday, February 19, 2025

Southwest Airlines slashed 15% of its corporate workforce in an effort to cut overhead costs.

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The airline said that the cuts would be targeting leadership roles and corporate positions, including senior leadership and director roles.

The reduction in total will be 1,750 jobs, including 11 senior leadership positions, as the airline says they are looking to build a “leaner and more agile organization” under its transformational plan.

“We are at a pivotal moment as we transform Southwest Airlines into a leaner, faster, and more agile organization,” CEO Bob Jordan said in a statement.

Additionally, Southwest stated that most of the job cuts will be finished by the end of the second fiscal quarter, and will result in approximately $210 million in savings for fiscal year 2025 and $300 million for the entire 2026 fiscal year. 

The carrier has also made massive changes in efforts to reduce costs, particularly after activist investor Elliott Investment Management took a $2 billion stake in the carrier and called for the airline to make leadership changes to help improve its financial performance. 

Last fall, Southwest said it would be “minimizing hiring, optimizing scheduling efficiency, capitalizing on supply chain opportunities, and improving corporate efficiency” while implementing a “multi-year” plan to improve its finances.

In January, the carrier announced that it was pausing certain corporate events and some hiring and a majority of summer internships, but the company did say they will honor offers that have already been made.

Southwest CEO Bob Jordan told employees in a January memo that “every single dollar matters as we continue to fight to return to excellent financial performance,” The Wall Street Journal reported.

The airline has already begun detailing changes that it has in the works, such as offering assigned seats, changing its boarding process and bringing in premium seating. 

Furthermore, Southwest will start operating red-eye flights in February to “maximize aircraft utilization” and shorten the turnaround time for planes between the flights. 

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