Transportation

Southwest to Cut 15% of Corporate Jobs in First-Ever Layoffs

  • Reductions to affect about 1,750 roles beginning in April
  • Carrier has been cutting costs in wake of activist battle

A Southwest Airlines aircraft at a gate at Austin–Bergstrom International Airport in Austin, Texas.

Photographer: Jordan Vonderhaar/Bloomberg
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Southwest Airlines Co. will cut about 1,750 jobs in its leadership ranks, a dramatic step to reduce expenses that mark the first layoffs in the carrier’s history.

The pullback will impact 15% of corporate positions, including senior leadership and directors, the airline said Monday in a statementBloomberg Terminal. The reductions start in late April and will be “substantially complete” by the end of the second quarter.