Southwest Airlines will reduce the number of employees at BWI-Marshall Airport, according to a memo obtained by WBAL Wednesday, after previously saying the airport’s workers would be spared.

Last month, the Dallas-based budget airline announced its first-ever mass layoffs, focusing on corporate employees and leadership. The workforce reduction is the latest about-face for the company, which recently changed its longstanding policies on free checked baggage and unassigned seats.

The internal memo dated March 19 says ground crews and “provisioning frontline” employees will be reduced at airports that were “overstaffed,” including BWI, LAX, Hollywood Burbank Airport and San José Mineta International Airport in San Jose, California. The staffing changes would begin effective June 1, it said.

Southwest would not confirm the details of the memo Wednesday, but said the “redeployment of resources” at BWI was separate from the layoffs announced last month.

“In the years since the pandemic, a number of different factors have limited or slowed our planned capacity restoration and growth in BWI, LAX, SJC and BUR, resulting in our overstaffed position in these locations,” the memo said.

Affected employees will be able to look for other positions within the company or take a severance package, according to the airline’s memo.

The memo said counselors will be on hand Thursday to assist and offer support to Southwest employees.

“As we continue to work together to transform our Company, an area of intense focus will be maximizing efficiencies and minimizing costs,” said Southwest President and CEO Bob Jordan in a letter when the February layoffs were announced.

“We must ensure we fund the right work, reduce duplicative efforts, and have a lean organizational structure that drives clarity, pace, and urgency,” he wrote. The airline also plans to prioritize boosting revenues and to “make the most of our investments,” he said.

As recently as November, Southwest employed 5,224 people at BWI, according to its fact sheet on its operations at the airport. It was the top passenger airline by market share at the airport in 2023, with just over 70%, per BWI’s numbers.

“Our current flight schedule and modest growth plan for 2025 require alignments to our workforce at four airports where we operate. We always try to minimize the impact to our Employees and all will have an opportunity to remain with Southwest,” the airline told The Baltimore Sun in an email Wednesday.

Baltimore Sun reporter Lorraine Mirabella contributed to this story.

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