Southwest Airlines will end service at Chicago O’Hare International Airport and Dulles International Airport in Washington DC on June 4, according to a travel advisory from the carrier. The departures come as the airline undergoes significant changes in an effort to improve profitability. Those changes include new seat assignments, bag fees and other initiatives.
The airline began flying to O’Hare in 2021 as part of an 18-city expansion during the pandemic. In 2024, Southwest left four other markets and reduced O’Hare flights. The carrier has a dominant position at Midway International Airport in Chicago.
Dulles service began about 20 years ago, but Southwest has focused more on Baltimore/Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport and Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport, where it is now the second-largest carrier by seats after American.
Travelers who have flights booked at the affected airports for June 4 or afterward can either: 1) rebook or fly standby to nearby alternate airports within 14 days of the original travel date at no change in airfare; or request a full refund for the unused ticket — even if it was nonrefundable — plus any optional fees such as Extra Legroom or Priority Boarding for the canceled segments.
