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Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

Southwest Airlines cuts 270 pilot roles in Denver and Atlanta

A Southwest Airlines plane prepares to take off at Dallas Love Field airport on Jan. 4, 2023, in Dallas.  (Lola Gomez/The Dallas Morning News/TNS)
By Mary Schlangenstein Washington Post

Southwest Airlines Co. is cutting 270 pilot positions across its Denver and Atlanta operations, the latest changes under broad efforts to reduce costs and maximize use of aircraft.

The moves will affect 155 roles in Denver, a Southwest spokesman said Tuesday. The flight schedule is not being cut in that market, but the airline said it plans to keep fewer planes there overnight for morning departures.

Affected pilots will be offered spots at other bases, Southwest said. The changes include 115 jobs being moved out of Atlanta, fewer than the 140 expected when the carrier announced plans in September to end nearly a third of its flights through the city.

Southwest has sought to reduce costs and improve efficiency following a recent fight with activist shareholder Elliott Investment Management, which led to a board shakeup. The carrier earlier this month paused hiring for management, headquarters jobs and outside workers in the latest effort. It will begin redeye flights next month as part of network changes to increase efficiency and revenue production.

The latest staffing changes were reported earlier by Aero Crew News.