On December 13, 2024, a Southwest Airlines Boeing 737 taxied on the tarmac at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport (DCA) in Arlington, Virginia.
Daniel Slim | AFP | Getty Images
Southwest Airlines Chief Executive Bob Jordan told employees on Monday that the company is pausing corporate hiring and promotions, suspending most summer internships and canceling some employee team-building activities that date back to the 1980s to cut costs and boost profits.
“We will continue to work hard to return to strong financial performance and every dollar counts,” Jordan said in the report seen by CNBC.
He said the company would postpone other events “where it makes sense.”
A Southwest spokesperson confirmed the changes.
“We will continue to continually evaluate hiring needs to determine when it makes sense for businesses to resume hiring,” she said in an email.
As part of a cost-cutting effort, Southwest is suspending employee “assemblies,” the company’s team-building tradition since 1985 in which employees hear from airline leaders about the year’s goals and enjoy food and entertainment.
Southwest has been under pressure for months last year from activist Elliott Management, which called on the airline to replace its chief executive. The two sides reached a settlement in October, with Elliott winning five Southwest board seats but lacking control, while Jordan retained the top job.
“We have made great progress in 2024 and we have a lot of real momentum…but we are still far from our goal of returning to industry-leading margins,” Jordan wrote. “A key risk in 2025 is acting as if The urgency has passed and therefore the focus and energy for 2024 cannot be maintained.”
The airline last year laid out a plan to increase profits that included abandoning its more than 50-year-old open seating model in favor of assigned seats and creating an area with extra legroom, offering night flights and more Aggressively cut unprofitable routes.
In September, the company cut flights from Atlanta, reducing jobs, but employees can apply to work at other bases.
Southwest Airlines announced fourth-quarter results on January 30. unitedThe share price rose more than 160% Delta Air Lines and American Airlines Increases of approximately 70% and 33% respectively.
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