While travel may be on the back burner for many Americans as the threat of a trade war looms, many people will still need to get on a plane this year for business or personal reasons.
It’s an interesting time for the sector, as U.S. travel is on the cusp of major change. As the U.S. Department of Transportation revealed on May 8, a new air traffic control system is on the way that’s designed to make flying safer and cut down on passenger delays.
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This update will involve major changes to core infrastructure, which will include radar, software, hardware, and telecommunications networks. Six new air traffic control centers will be built, more than 600 aged radars will be replaced, and more than 4,600 sites will get new fiber, wireless, and satellite technologies.
Related: Struggling airline restructures debt, plans to exit bankruptcy
The FAA says the official timeline is three years for most of the changes, while some items like radios should be replaced by 2027.
This news comes in the wake of troubling travel news over the last few months, including multiple incidents at Newark Airport involving air traffic communication outages. For many consumers, it just doesn’t feel as safe to fly.
Now one of the most trusted airlines in the U.S. is making a change to a service it’s offered since the ’60s, and a lot of people are not going to like it.
Image source: Shutterstock
Southwest replaces people with screens
When you drive up to the curb at the airport when flying Southwest, traditionally a Southwest (LUV)  employee would be there to greet you, take your bags, print your boarding passes, and just make your life generally easier.
These employees are known as Skycaps, and they’re especially useful to families with kids, disabled travelers, and people generally in need of help as they embark on their journey.
After more than 70 years of offering Skycap service across 52 locations, Southwest has decided to make some changes in this area. It announced in March that all Skycaps would be vendor-operated by mid-May, with the typical human service replaced by either a digital kiosk or outsourced contractors.
Related: Southwest Airlines makes drastic cost-cutting decision
To add a touch of salt to the wound, Southwest cut the jobs of humans working as Skycaps as a part of its February layoffs and told them they could reapply for their jobs with the third-party vendor who will do the job from here on out, Southwest said in comments to Chron. However, the employees lost all seniority in the job cuts, so doing so would result in starting over as day-one employees.
Southwest navigates difficult headwinds
Southwest Airlines has had a rough go since 2022, when a major winter storm caused travel disruptions leading to the cancellation of 16,900 flights and leaving more than 2 million travelers stranded.
That debacle cost the airline $600 million in refunds, not to mention the $140 million civil penalty it also had to pay per the U.S. Department of Transportation.
“The airline has seen its stock price decline by about 11.5% over the past year, and in the last five years, its stock price shrunk by almost 48%,” TheStreet’s Patricia Battle reports.
To fight back, Southwest announced layoffs in February 2025, which CEO Bob Jordan called “a decision unprecedented in our 53-year history.”
But there’s a reason for the harsh changes: Southwest estimates that the most recent round of layoffs will save it $400 million dollars this year.
While layoffs and cuts to long-beloved services like Skycaps may be necessary to rescue the airline from financial strife, one can’t help but feel that the Southwest promise of “unmatched hospitality” just might be at risk.
Related: American Airlines quietly tests surprising change to meals on some flights
