Facing a collapse in demand, Southwest Airlines said Tuesday that it will slash service nearly 40% systemwide, canceling roughly 1,500 of its nearly 4,000 daily flights.
The cancellations, which have already begun, will take place in the weeks leading up to April 14, when the carrier plans to implement a reduced schedule that cuts capacity by about 20% through June 5.
“During this unprecedented time, we will continually assess the real-time, market demand for Southwest's service with the goal of cancelling flights that have alternate flight or route options and that affect the fewest number of customers,” the company said on its website.
Other airlines have made similar moves recently as legions of people cancel their travel plans amid the global pandemic.
Southwest, the biggest carrier at Pittsburgh International Airport, also said that effective Wednesday, it would temporarily end its in-flight beverage and snack service on all flights. Passengers will still be able to request individual cans of water.
“This change will further support limiting direct customer touchpoints,” the airline said.
"We're not at the bottom of the [industrywide] schedule cuts,” said Christina Cassotis, CEO of the airport authority. “I expect more to come out of the system. It's going to be dramatic.”
Patricia Sabatini: [email protected]; 412-263-3066.
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