Southwest Airlines Will Stop Serving These 4 Airports

During its quarterly earnings call on April 25, Southwest Airlines disclosed more significant financial losses than anticipated and announced plans to discontinue service to four airports starting August 4, 2024. Additionally, the airline intends to decrease capacity at two other key destinations. These reductions aim to "enhance unit revenue performance and operating margin," as stated in the earnings call. The airline has not excluded the possibility of further cuts to its network, adding to the uncertainty affecting the airline industry in recent months.

Which airports will Southwest Airlines be removing from its network?

On August 4, as the peak summer travel period for 2024 comes to a close, Southwest will discontinue flight services to the following four airports and will stop accepting reservations for travel after this date:

• Bellingham International Airport (BLI) in Washington
• Cozumel International Airport (CZM) in Quintana Roo, Mexico
• George Bush Intercontinental Airport (IAH) in Houston, Texas
• Syracuse Hancock International Airport (SYR) in New York

Additionally, Southwest announced plans to "significantly restructure other markets," starting with "capacity reductions" at these airports:

• Chicago O’Hare International Airport (ORD) in Illinois
• Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport (ATL) in Georgia

Southwest did not disclose which routes would be impacted by these capacity reductions, and the airline has not ruled out further eliminations or flight reductions. CEO Bob Jordan stated that "network actions will persist" as Southwest seeks to regain profitability.

What is the reason behind Southwest's cutbacks?

The recent decline in Southwest’s profits is the main factor driving the reduction in flights. This route cutback aims at achieving "network optimization," according to the airline.

"In order to enhance our financial results," the airline stated during its latest earnings call, "we have ramped up our network optimization initiatives to tackle underperforming markets. As a result, we have made the tough choice to cease operations" at four airports and to reduce capacity at two others.

Syracuse Airport contests the assertion of poor performance, claiming in a statement that Southwest indicated the "market was performing as anticipated for a new city" after two and a half years of service there, suggesting there may be other factors at play, possibly including a shortage of aircraft stemming from delivery delays at Boeing.

It raises questions whether Boeing's challenges are partly responsible for the network reductions. Southwest recognized the effects of Boeing’s production and delivery issues, noting during the call that "additional delays in aircraft deliveries pose significant challenges . . . we are swiftly responding and adjusting plans to alleviate operational and financial impacts while ensuring reliable flight schedules."

However, Jordan mentioned that while Boeing’s aircraft delivery problems are "painful" for the airline, the unavailability of planes is not the primary reason for the route reductions. "The network changes are not related to the Boeing delays, [and] we are proceeding with actions regardless," he explained in a post-earnings call interview on CNBC.

What implications do these cuts have for travelers?

For travelers with existing bookings to any of the destinations that will be cut after the August 4 deadline, Southwest Airlines announced it will "contact all affected individuals with their specific rebooking options."

Passengers traveling to and from the smaller airports being removed from Southwest’s network, such as Bellingham and Syracuse, will be the most impacted by this change, as alternative airline options are limited. According to local reports, Bellingham will mainly be served by Allegiant and Alaska Airlines, relying on connections through Seattle for most destinations. Meanwhile, Syracuse Airport will still have service from major airlines like American, Delta, JetBlue, and United, although some local travelers may need to reroute through Rochester, as stated by LocalSyr.com. Syracuse Airport expressed in its statement that it will "remain actively engaged with Southwest Airlines to determine a future date for the airline to restart service in Syracuse."

Given Southwest’s announcement that "network actions will continue," travelers should be ready for additional flight and destination reductions—both with Southwest and potentially other airlines experiencing financial challenges. As always, stay updated on airline news and keep strategies for rebooking canceled flights handy.