The Smart Marty Sky Dispatch
The Factors That Led To Southwest Airlines' Unsurvivability At Chicago & Houston's Largest Airports
Southwest held 1.9% of O'Hare and already owned Midway. The same pattern played out in Houston, and both operations are now gone.
Southwest Airlines began serving Chicago O’Hare International Airport (ORD) on February 14, 2021, with 20 daily departures as part of a temporary expansion during the pandemic era.
The carrier also resumed service at Houston George Bush Intercontinental Airport (IAH) in 2021 after a 16-year absence, returning to IAH within the same year it entered ORD.
Both ORD and IAH moves were described as pandemic-era allocations that leveraged gates that had become available, with the implication that these were short-term adjustments rather than permanent reentries.
Southwest’s operations at ORD and IAH have since ended, with IAH service discontinued on August 4, 2024, and ORD service ending on June 4, 2024, in conjunction with a broader exit from Washington Dulles (IAD).
At ORD and IAH, Southwest held a small market share, with 1.9% at ORD, and the airline already owned Midway prior to these moves; both operations are now concluded.