Southwest Airlines will stop Dulles flights starting June 4

Southwest Airlines announced Friday that, effective June 4, it will no longer operate at Washington Dulles International Airport.

The company, which said it was stopping its flights at Dulles as part of “ongoing efforts to refine its network,” will instead fly a combined 271 departures a day to 79 destinations out of Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport and Baltimore/Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport.

Currently, Southwest operates three flights daily at Dulles, according to Washington’s WJLA-TV.

Southwest said it’s the largest carrier in the Washington area in terms of passengers. The affected Southwest employees at Dulles will “have the opportunity to bid for open positions across our network,” including at BWI and Reagan National, the airline said.

Southwest is making a similar change in the Chicago market, where the airline will no longer fly in and out of Chicago O’Hare International Airport effective June 4. Southwest will continue to service Chicago Midway International Airport with flights to 80 destinations.

The Southwest employees at O’Hare will also be able to look for other jobs in the airline’s network.

People who had Southwest flights in or out of Dulles or O’Hare scheduled for June 4 or later are eligible for refunds.

The Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority, which oversees Dulles and Reagan National, told WJLA that “we hope Southwest will return to Dulles in the future.”