The moves away from Southwest’s simple business model and quirky traditions come as airline management faces pressure from activist investor Elliott Investment Management. The hedge fund blames management for Southwest’s recent underperformance compared with its closest rivals, and wants to replace Jordan and most of the Southwest board.

(Reuters) -Southwest Airlines plans to reduce service to and from Atlanta next year, affecting some employees on the impacted routes, unions covering the carrier's employees said on Wednesday. The Southwest Airlines Pilots Association said the airline would schedule drawdowns from April next year and reduce the number of gates to 11 from 18.