Southwest Airlines is eliminating 1,750 jobs, or 15% of its corporate workforce, in the first major layoffs in the company’s 53-year history, the Associated Press reports.
The Dallas-based airline said Monday that the job cuts would be focused almost entirely on “corporate overhead and leadership positions,” including senior leadership and directors. Eleven senior leadership positions, representing 15% of the company’s senior management committee, are being eliminated.
The job cuts, which are scheduled to be mostly completed by the end of June, are part of a plan by the airline to slash costs and transform the company into a “leaner, faster, and more agile organization,” Southwest CEO Bob Jordan said in a statement.
Southwest estimated that the job cuts will save the company about $210 million this year and roughly $300 million in 2026.
