Southwest exits O’Hare, cuts jobs
Southwest is cutting service at major airports after announcing an exit from Chicago O’Hare and is laying off more than 100 employees tied to that pullback. (Reports note the carrier began O’Hare service in February 2021 but didn’t establish the same position it has at Midway.) (nationaltoday.com) (simpleflying.com).
Southwest Airlines is pulling out of Chicago O’Hare on June 4 and cutting 107 jobs tied to that shutdown. (usatoday.com) The layoffs were disclosed in an Illinois Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification filing tied to a March 31 notice, and state law requires 60 days’ notice for covered mass layoffs. (illinois.gov) Southwest told customers in March that all flights to, from, or through O’Hare would end starting June 4, 2026, with rebooking and refund options for affected travelers. (chicago.suntimes.com) The airline said “operating at Chicago O’Hare continues to be challenging” and said it can keep serving the region through Chicago Midway, where Southwest has a much larger presence. (nbcchicago.com) O’Hare was a pandemic-era expansion for Southwest, which began service there in February 2021 with 20 daily departures after decades of tying its Chicago business mainly to Midway. (chicago.suntimes.com) The retreat also comes as the Federal Aviation Administration has pushed carriers to trim summer schedules at O’Hare to ease overscheduling and delays. (chicago.suntimes.com) At O’Hare, Southwest was competing against hub operators United Airlines and American Airlines, while flying from Terminal 5, which local analysts said left it at a disadvantage compared with carriers concentrated in Terminals 1 through 3. (chicago.suntimes.com) Southwest is also leaving Washington Dulles on June 4 as part of what it has called an effort to “refine its network,” concentrating flying around airports where it already has stronger positions. (nationaltoday.com) Chicago’s aviation department said it understood Southwest’s business decision and said it hopes to welcome the airline back to O’Hare in the future. (chicago.suntimes.com)
