Posted on 04/25/2024 11:53:15 AM PDT by george76
Southwest Airlines issued a press statement Thursday declaring their intention to fire around 2,000 employees and cancel service to four airports following financial difficulties.
“[W]e are implementing cost control initiatives, including limiting hiring and offering voluntary time off programs. We now expect to end 2024 with approximately 2,000 fewer Employees as compared with the end of 2023,” Bob Jordan, the president and CEO of Southwest Airlines
...
Jordan also announced that the company was shutting down its service to three airports in the United States and one in Mexico. “[W]e have made the difficult decision to close our operations at Bellingham International Airport, Cozumel International Airport, Houston’s George Bush Intercontinental Airport, and Syracuse Hancock International Airport,” the president said in the press release.
The company is also planning to reduce its aircraft from its own fleet from 814 to 802 planes by the end of this year, the press release noted.
Jordan mentioned that he was grateful to the company’s over 74,000 employees who have continued to demonstrate the “Warrior Spirit to maintain a reliable and resilient operation as we adapt to aircraft delivery constraints and adjust to slower-than-planned growth for this year and next,” the press release read.
The company claimed in the press release that the rising labor costs “as well as pressure from planned maintenance expenses” had taken their toll in these difficult times. Not everything in the press release was gloomy. “While it is disappointing to incur a first-quarter loss, we exited the quarter with healthy profits and margins in the month of March,” Jordan noted
I’ll miss the miniskirts and gogo boots...
Oh, wait .....different airline
We have high prices for taxes, airline monopolies, and incompetent management.
SW has been hiring “minorities” over whites the past two years. They have hired a significant number of them that are grossly under performing.
“fire”? Lay offs perhaps.
I always avoided Houston Intergalactic if possible: it’s too far away and too huge. Hobby is much better. Same with Midway vs. O’Hare if you live close to downtown Chicago.
Southwest has expanded their operations at Hobby.
And it use to be one of the best.
Braniff air those women were hotness
I was like 7
Herb Kelleher would be rolling over in his grave.
He’s probably the most impressive human being I ever had the privilege of meeting.
Yes, their management is into DEI bigtime!
Silly…you know this is only a ploy to justify firing us citizens and hiring cheap labor…who benefits? You silly rabbit the illegal invaders that’s who! Tricks are for stupid Americans!
Well that makes it easy to find the 2000.
Southwest has very limited flights from GB/IAH. Houston Hobby is their ‘hub’, and I’d guess 95% of their flights from Houston come from Hobby.
I’ve never booked, or even seen, a flight from Intergalactic.
The ‘get away’ flights are cheap if you get your tickets in advance. Going from BWI to FLL $125 each way
A shame about Cozumel. You only have one Spring break!
I think they can all now afford the French Riviera for Break, now that their loans are paid by taxpayers.
btt
Houston’s George Bush Intercontinental Airport is the largest airport in the Houston area. South west dose most of its (and soon only) Houson service at the smaller William P. Hobby.
In February Southwest announced a $30 million investment in LanzaJet SAF (Sustainable Aviation Fuel) technology. In March, Southwest announced acquisition of Saffire Renewable, a company with technology to produce ethanol from corner stover which would then become feedstock for LanzaJet SAF production.
Many question if SAF production can ever be economic without government subsidies (e.g. public tax money). Corn stover may seem like a inexpensive feedstock to produce ethanol with a low enough carbon intensity score to qualify for SAF production. However, corn stover is normally left on the ground and tilled back in to the soil, thereby returning nutrients to the soil. Removing large amounts for SAF production could result in need for additional fertilizer. There is also the cost in collection and transportation of corn stover; not to mention that farmers will be want to get paid a fair price for it.
There is a semantic difference between layoffs and firings. In this story the term should be laying off the employees.
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