Southwest Airlines will cut 15% of corporate positions, a reduction affecting about 1,750 employees, according to a letter to employees from CEO Bob Jordan. He wrote that the airline is at a pivotal moment as it conducts its three-year business plan to transform its operations.

The plan, he said, “is the largest and most comprehensive in our 53-year history, and it focuses on three simple but powerful objectives.” He said they were: first, boost revenues and loyalty by offering customers the experience they want; second, maximize efficiencies and minimize costs; and third, make the most of investments.

This is “a very difficult and monumental shift,” wrote Jordan, saying he arrived at this decision after careful and thorough reflection, knowing how hard it would be to say goodbye to “cohearts” who have been a significant part of the company’s culture and accomplishments.

“Changing how we work is an essential part of becoming a more agile company, and it will be a journey,” said Jordan. He said, “we are building a leaner organization with increased clarity regarding what is most important, quicker decision making, and a focus on getting the right things done with urgency — not unlike our entrepreneurial founding spirit of the 1970s.”