Southwest Airlines Cuts Services at Washington Airport and Beyond

Southwest Airlines has announced it's suspending services at 4 major airports.

One of those airports is Bellingham International Airport in Washington. The airport is 3 miles northwest of Bellingham in Whatcom County. It's the 3rd largest commercial airport in the Evergreen State. Southwest will no longer offer services at:

• George Bush Intercontinental Airport in Houston

• Syracuse Hancock International Airport

• Cozumel International Airport in Mexico

The cuts are in response to the airline's reported first quarter loss of $231-million.

The huge loss is worse than analysts expected and as a result the stock price has plummeted. Southwest Airlines is also reducing flights from several other locations in an effort to cut expenses. The airline not only cites underperformance, but also, Boeing delivery delays of new planes. Southwest Airlines will receive just 20 of the 46 Boeing 737 Max 8 planes it was expecting for this year.

Southwest Airlines only flies Boeing 737 planes.

Southwest Airlines is facing setbacks due to Boeing's slower delivery of planes. In March, United Airlines announced a hiring freeze for pilots due to new aircraft certification and manufacturing delays at Boeing. United has also asked pilots to take unpaid time off due to delays. Southwest Airlines will limit hiring and expects to let two-thousand employees go by the end of the year.

What steps is the airline taking to maintain operations?

CEO Robert Jordan said Southwest is "looking at new initiatives like the way we seat and the way we board our aircrafts." He said the company has been "studying" its seating and cabin arrangements. Southwest generally follows an open-seating style. Passengers don't have assigned seats before getting on the plane. Passengers are assigned boarding groups. Once on the plane, they can choose any open seat.

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Southwest is also making changes in operations in other markets. Flights will be reduced at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport and Chicago O'Hare International Airport.