Southwest Airlines to cut around 200 flights in Q1 2009

Southwest Airlines has announced plans to reduce around 200 flights in the first quarter of 2009, in a bid to focus on more profitable sectors to mitigate the effects of high fuel prices and a slowing US economy, reported Reuters.

The US-based low-cost airline has said that it is trying to better align its schedule to meet customer demand, following the implementation of a new software to manage flight schedules.

Southwest said that it will cut 196 flights and add six new ones between January and March of 2009, almost 6% of the airline's daily schedule of 3,400 flights.

The news source quoted Southwest spokesman Beth Harbin as saying that the flight reductions will chiefly affect some early-morning and late-night flights from cities including Dallas and Houston.

Ms Harbin said: "We are making sure that the schedule is productive or profitable by being able to adjust for the seasonal shift in demand during the winter months."

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