Total Workers Affected
7,210
Across all WARN notices
Employer · WARN Act history · Transportation & Warehousing
Southwest Airlines
7,210 workers across 7 WARN notices, primarily in CO - recorded in the current PlainLayoffs dataset.
- 7,210
- Workers cut
- 7
- WARN notices
- 6
- States
- 1,030
- Avg / notice
Southwest Airlines has 7 recorded WARN filings affecting 7,210 workers
According to WARN Act filings submitted to state workforce agencies, Southwest Airlines has 7 recorded filings covering 7,210 workers across 6 states, primarily CO, the 19th-largest recorded WARN footprint among 6,916 tracked employers. WARN only covers mass layoffs at employers with 100+ employees, so this is a floor on the employer's actual workforce changes.
The verdict
Southwest Airlines put 7,210 workers on WARN notice across 7 filings - the 19th-largest WARN footprint of 6,916 tracked employers.
- #19
- of 6,916 employers by workers affected
- Top 1%
- larger than 99% of tracked employers
- 7
- Recorded WARN filings
- 6
- states affected, led by CO
Where Southwest Airlines Falls Among Tracked Employers
6,916 employers with a WARN filing, bucketed by total workers affected
Number of Notices
7
Recorded WARN Act filings
Latest Event Date
Dec 2020
Most recent filing
Not all layoffs appear in WARN data, see our methodology for the federal + state coverage thresholds.
Reported Layoff Scale (by Workers Affected) 60.0%
7,210 workers across recorded WARN events, a raw count, not adjusted for the employer's total headcount.
WARN Notice History
2020
Mass Layoff
SeaTac, WA · Transportation & Warehousing
Effective: Mar 15, 2021
42
workers
Filed Dec 3, 2020
Mass Layoff
Portland, OR · Transportation & Warehousing
Effective: Mar 15, 2021
85
workers
Filed Dec 3, 2020
Mass Layoff
Arlington, VA · Transportation & Warehousing
Effective: Mar 15, 2021
60
workers
Filed Dec 3, 2020
Mass Layoff
Milwaukee, WI · Transportation & Warehousing
Effective: Jan 25, 2021
18
workers
Filed Nov 18, 2020
Mass Layoff
CO · Transportation & Warehousing
Effective: Nov 18, 2020
4
workers
Filed Nov 18, 2020
Mass Layoff
CO · Transportation & Warehousing
Effective: Nov 6, 2020
1
workers
Filed Nov 6, 2020
Mass Layoff
Dallas, TX · Transportation & Warehousing
Effective: Oct 1, 2020
7,000
workers
Filed Oct 1, 2020
How Southwest Airlines compares in Transportation & Warehousing
| # | Employer | Workers cut | Notices | Lead state |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | United Airlines | 42,706 | 9 | WA |
| 2 | American Airlines | 19,230 | 6 | WA |
| 3 | Delta Air Lines | 17,074 | 2 | WA |
| 4 | Southwest Airlines (this page) | 7,210 | 7 | CO |
| 5 | Uber Technologies | 6,700 | 1 | CA |
| 6 | Spirit Airlines | 5,247 | 6 | FL |
| 7 | United Airlines (Washington Dulles International Airport) | 3,036 | 1 | VA |
| 8 | American Airlines-DFW | 2,475 | 1 | TX |
| 9 | IAS Logistics DFW, LLC d/b/a Pinnacle Logistics | 1,609 | 1 | MD |
What this means for CO workers
Southwest Airlines has 7 recorded WARN filings covering 7,210 workers, most recently on Dec 3, 2020.
- If you are affected, file for unemployment and contact your state's rapid-response program inside the WARN Act's 60-day notice window. What to do after a layoff
- Check whether the required notice pay was provided, the WARN Act can entitle workers to up to 60 days of pay when notice is skipped. Estimate WARN pay
- See recorded WARN notices in CO, where Southwest Airlines's filings were reported. CO layoffs
WARN Act filings only capture layoffs of 50+ workers at sites of 100+ employees, so smaller reductions, contractor non-renewals, and voluntary separations are not shown here.
Reading the Southwest Airlines WARN Record
With 7 separate WARN Act filings in this dataset, Southwest Airlines has one of the more extensive recorded layoff-notice histories, covering 7,210 workers from Oct 1, 2020 through Dec 3, 2020, and even that likely understates the real total (why). By total workers affected, Southwest Airlines ranks #1 of 227 tracked employers in CO. Among the 8 other Transportation & Warehousing employers with recorded WARN filings, the median is 5,974 affected workers -- Southwest Airlines's 7,210 sits above that group's typical scale. Filings span 6 states, most concentrated in CO (Transportation & Warehousing), so more than one state workforce agency and mini-WARN threshold applied depending on where each notice was filed.
Averaging 1,030 workers per notice, Southwest Airlines's filings fall into a pattern that resembles full-facility closures or company-wide restructuring, events that can reshape local labor markets for years. With 7 separate recorded filings, this is not an isolated event, the cadence of notices points to recurring workforce adjustment tied to industry cycles, merger integration, or capacity right-sizing.
Workers on CO-based Southwest Airlines notices should contact the CO workforce agency directly, response teams, severance negotiation guidance, and TAA (Trade Adjustment Assistance) screening move fastest in the days immediately following a notice. See what to do after a layoff for the full benefits timeline. This record reflects filed notices only; subsequent hiring, rescinded closures, or facility reopenings are not tracked by WARN disclosures.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Southwest Airlines laying off workers? ▼
Southwest Airlines has filed 7 WARN Act notices affecting 7,210 workers across 6 states. The most recent notice was filed on Dec 3, 2020.
How many people has Southwest Airlines laid off? ▼
According to WARN Act filings, Southwest Airlines has affected 7,210 workers total, averaging 1,030 workers per notice.
What states has Southwest Airlines had layoffs in? ▼
Southwest Airlines has filed WARN notices in 6 states: CO, OR, TX, VA, WA, WI.
What is a WARN Act notice? ▼
The Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification (WARN) Act requires employers with 100+ employees to provide 60 days advance notice of plant closings and mass layoffs affecting 50 or more workers. Not all layoffs require WARN notice.
What benefits are available after a Southwest Airlines layoff? ▼
Workers affected by a WARN-notified layoff may be eligible for unemployment insurance, COBRA health coverage continuation, job retraining through the Trade Adjustment Assistance program, and severance packages if offered by the employer. State workforce agencies often provide additional rapid response services.
How does Southwest Airlines's layoff history compare to the industry? ▼
Southwest Airlines has affected 7,210 workers across 7 WARN filings in the Transportation & Warehousing sector. The federal WARN Act only captures layoffs affecting 50 or more workers, so actual workforce changes may be larger.
Data sourced from official state WARN-Act layoff registries. See our methodology for details. Retrieved and formatted by PlainLayoffs Editorial
Disclaimer: This information is provided for informational purposes only and does not constitute professional advice. Data is sourced from state WARN Act filings. Consult a qualified professional before making decisions based on this data.
Download the data behind this page
The full PlainLayoffs employer roster, covering every recorded employer including Southwest Airlines, is available as CSV. Underlying WARN Act filings are public records; see our methodology for the compilation method.
Every figure on PlainLayoffs is rendered directly from public WARN Act filings and state workforce agency records, no number is typed in by an editor. This employer's notice history is rendered directly from state WARN Act filings. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of June 2026. A WARN filing is a legally required notice, not a judgment of a company's management or financial health; rankings here reflect filed notice volume only.
| Publisher | PlainLayoffs |
| Sources | Public state WARN-Act layoff registries |