Southwest bails on Dulles, O’Hare as it shifts focus to Reagan and Baltimore

Southwest Airlines will end service at Chicago O’Hare International Airport and Washington Dulles International Airport on June 4 as it reshapes its route network, the airline said.

Southwest said it will continue serving the Chicago and Washington regions through its existing operations at Chicago Midway Airport, Baltimore/Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport and Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport. The airline said the changes are not expected to significantly reduce overall flight availability for the two metro areas because Southwest maintains what it described as robust schedules at those airports.

In Chicago, Southwest said it will keep focusing on Midway, where it plans to continue offering service to more than 80 destinations, including the 15 markets it currently serves from O’Hare. The airline said operating at O’Hare has been challenging and that it is confident it can serve the region from its long-standing Midway base.

In the Washington area, Southwest said it will continue to offer up to a combined 271 daily departures to 79 nonstop destinations from Reagan National and BWI.

Southwest said affected frontline employees at O’Hare and Dulles will have opportunities to bid for open positions elsewhere in its network, including at Midway in Chicago and at BWI and Reagan National in the Washington region.