Southwest Suspends Corporate Hiring, Scales Back Internships

'Every single dollar matters,' CEO Bob Jordan said in an internal company memo, according to a CNBC report.

Wednesday, January 15, 2025 at 03:40 PM ET

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Edited By: tccjeremy

Southwest 737 MAX 8 aircraft [Credit: AirlineGeeks/ William Derrickson]

Key Takeaways:

Southwest Airlines is implementing significant cost-cutting measures, including suspending corporate hiring, nonunion promotions, and most internships.
CEO Bob Jordan announced these changes in an internal memo, emphasizing the need for the airline to become "lean, efficient and agile."
As part of the cost-cutting initiative, the airline will also suspend its 40-year-old tradition of employee rallies.

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Southwest Airlines is scaling back corporate hiring and most internships, CEO Bob Jordan announced in an internal memo reviewed by CNBC.

“Every single dollar matters,” Jordan said.

Ryan is Group President of Firecrown Media’s Aviation Group, overseeing a portfolio that includes FLYING, AirlineGeeks, AVweb, Plane + Pilot, KITPLANES, and AircraftForSale.com. He founded AirlineGeeks.com in February 2013 and has more than a decade of experience across aviation media, airport operations, airline workforce planning, and Part 135 regulatory compliance. His experience ranges from time behind the yoke of a Cessna 172 to interviewing aviation industry executives. Ryan holds a B.S. in Air Transportation Management and an MBA from Arizona State University and is an adjunct instructor at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University.