The closures are the latest move by the Dallas-based airline to cut costs.
DALLAS — Dallas-based Southwest Airlines is closing two flight attendant bases in the airline’s latest cost-cutting move.
Southwest is closing flight attendant bases at Austin-Bergstrom International Airport in Texas and Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport in Florida on July 1, a spokesperson for the airline confirmed to WFAA.
The closures impact about 280 of the airline’s nearly 20,000 flight attendant crew members, who will be moved to one of Southwest’s 12 primary bases around the country, a spokesperson said.
The Austin and Fort Lauderdale bases are described as smaller “satellite” operations that serve as a hub for flight attendants, with no pilots based at either location.
“We are consolidating our Flight Attendant satellite bases into our primary 12 base cities as we work to further maximize our operational efficiency and reliability,” Southwest Airlines spokesperson Dan Landson told WFAA. “This change will ultimately help strengthen our Crew network and support a more reliable operation for our Employees and Customers.”
When the pending closures became public, a union for Southwest flight attendants, TWU Local 556, successfully called on the airline to delay closing the bases about a month from the initial closure date to July 1, according to a message from the union’s president Bill Bernal shared on the union’s social media pages.
“While the Company is within its rights to make this decision, it is not without impact on Flight Attendants,” the message read. “After being informed of the Company’s decision, our Union convinced the Company to allow Austin and Fort Lauderdale Bases to stay open an extra month from the Company’s initial closure date, effectively moving it from June 1 to July 1, 2025. This allows affected Members more time to make arrangements for this change in their professional and personal lives.”
The closing of the two bases is the latest in a series of shakeups for the airline. Last month, Southwest announced it was laying off 1,750 employees — the company’s first mass layoffs.
The airline’s board of directors has also been overhauled as part of a campaign by activist investor Elliott Investment Management.
Most recently, Southwest confirmed adjustments to its Rapid Rewards program for customers.
