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Southwest to Exit Chicago O’Hare and Washington Dulles on June 4

Higher costs plus tougher competition at primary airports push a shift toward Southwest’s stronger secondary hubs.

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A Southwest Airlines jet flies past the Capitol as it prepares to land at Reagan National Airport.

Overview

  • Flights at O’Hare and Dulles end after June 3, with all previously scheduled services operating through that date.
  • Service in both regions continues via Chicago Midway, Baltimore/Washington International, and Reagan National, with the airline saying overall availability in the cities will remain largely unchanged.
  • Customers booked on or after June 4 can rebook or fly standby within 14 days without a fare difference, choose alternate nearby airports, or request refunds for unused tickets and related fees.
  • Southwest calls O’Hare operations challenging and has a far larger footprint at Midway and BWI, with data showing Midway carries over 90% of its Chicago-area passengers and more than 6,000 flights this month.
  • Frontline staff at the two airports may bid for roles elsewhere in the network, and industry analysis suggests the O’Hare exit could free roughly two dozen daily operations as the FAA works to trim summer schedules.