If you’ve been planning summer travel via Southwest Airlines through Chicago’s O’Hare International Airport or Washington Dulles International Airport, it’s time to update your plans. Southwest Airlines announced in a now-deleted travel advisory that it will stop flying to both airports on June 4, 2026, citing ongoing efforts to “refine its network.” Leaving two major airports may seem unusual, but for flyers who know the airline, it may not be all that surprising.
Southwest Airlines Will Stop Flying to Two Major US Airports in June
A short stint at O’Hare
Though O’Hare in Chicago is one of the busiest and biggest airports in the Midwest, Southwest never made a particularly strong commitment to it. It began flying there in 2021 during the COVID-19 pandemic, but never expanded much beyond that. As of now, it flies to about 15 destinations from O’Hare, most of which are major cities reachable from other hubs, such as Austin, Dallas, Las Vegas, and Denver. A Southwest representative currently called operations at O’Hare “challenging,” but didn’t provide more details.
However, O’Hare has recently seen some operational challenges. American Airlines and United Airlines are battling it out to see who can expand the fastest at the airport, likely making it even harder for other airlines to find gate space. With those new flights, the airport has more than 3,000 flights per day scheduled this summer in and out of its terminals — exceeding its capacity, to the point where the FAA (Federal Aviation Administration) and DOT (Department of Transportation) have ordered the airport to pare that number down. For this reason, it’s likely more cost-effective and far easier operationally for Southwest to continue flying out of the city’s smaller Midway airport, which it’s served since 1985.
Saying goodbye after 20 years at Dulles
Photo: Lukas Souza/Unsplash
Southwest has served Dulles, the largest and most-used airport serving the Washington, DC, area, since October 2006, though it was recently flying to only two destinations: Denver and Phoenix. In 2012, Southwest began flying out of smaller Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport, often just called “National,” at which time it reduced some flights at Dulles. Today, Southwest also flies out of the third DC-area airport, Baltimore/Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport, and has continued to expand its base at National. As the largest of the three airports, Dulles is likely the most expensive operationally, allowing the airline to cut service while still offering routes to key cities from the area’s other airports.
Why airlines leave airports
Southwest’s move isn’t unheard of in the aviation world, especially for an airline that originally focused on smaller, second-tier airports, anyway. When major carriers like Delta or United already dominate most of the space at a primary airport, like Dulles or O’Hare, it leaves less space for smaller airlines, driving up their expenses for gate space, landing fees (calculated based on the weight of the aircraft and higher at major airports), and terminal use fees, which are charged per passenger deplaning.
It’s also not the first time the airline has left a large airport behind. Southwest stoped flying to Houston Bush Intercontinental (IAH) in 1992 after beginning operations just a year earlier, presumably as operations at nearby Hobby Airport grew. It stopped flying to Newark Liberty International (EWR) in 2019 and now focuses on LaGuardia, and stopped flying to Mexico City International Airport, the busiest in all of Mexico and Latin America, in 2019.
What travelers should do now
If you’re booked on Southwest through either airport after June 4, you have options. Travelers booked to Dulles can change their flights to Baltimore/Washington, Reagan National, Philadelphia, or Richmond at no charge, while those booked to O’Hare can switch to Midway, Indianapolis, or Milwaukee Mitchell International. Alternatively, you can also contact the airline for a full refund and make new plans.
Southwest says it operates a max of 244 daily departures from Midway on peak days, serving about 80 destinations with nonstop flights. So if you’re flexible about which airport you use, you’re unlikely to lose your route — you just may have to head to Midway instead. 