Southwest Airlines this week announced that its reservation center departments will shift to 100% remote this fall. This would be a significant move for the carrier when it comes to saving on overheads as it holds several centers across the United States.

Making the leap

Approximately 3,200 customer service and reservations agents work for Southwest Airlines. The employees are based in offices across Albuquerque, Atlanta, Chicago, Houston, Oklahoma City, and Phoenix, along with the carrier’s headquarters in Dallas. With airlines always dealing with customer queries throughout the day, these departments are crucial to the company’s operations. Tasks include completing bookings and helping with flight changes.

According to CNBC, The International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers, the labor union representing the carrier’s customer service agents, in a note said the following to members on Wednesday.

"Southwest Airlines just announced they are closing all the Reservation Centers and transitioning to 100% remote work.”

Flexible opportunities

There are several remote jobs already listed online, including Associate HR Business Partner and Tech Lead Software Engineer. Southwest notes the following about each role:

“Employees will be provided the same concern respect and caring attitude within the organization that they are expected to share externally with every Southwest Customer.”

The airline also said the commented about its decision in a statement sent to Simple Flying:

"Evolving to a fully remote workforce brings increased flexibility, both in attracting and hiring new Employees from across the country, and in scheduling current Employees who have worked at record efficiency in a remote work environment,"

So, with the airline already seeing success in the remote scene, it’s gaining confidence to keep the momentum going across its operations. The transition is set to take effect on September 1st. However, it won’t be such a revolutionary shift since most reservation agents had already been remotely working since the rise of the global health crisis. With business picking up following the pandemic, the firm is still keen to keep such initiatives.

Nonetheless, there will undoubtedly be frustrated staff members. Especially since Aerospace Workers shared highlights that the airline made the decision without input from the union.

While many employees across different industries have welcomed remote working, there are numerous people that appreciate the option of going to the office even if it was on a part-time basis. Working remotely can take away social aspects, and several people say they work better being in the presence of their coworkers rather than using technology.

The modern era

Southwest is by far not the only employer to consider such a move. Overhead costs of office space, energy, and maintenance can be cut down by closing offices. The operator already has considerable fees across the board, including airport and fuel costs. Therefore, shifts such as this could go a long way.