Southwest Airlines tells staff 'difficult decisions' ahead in push to boost profits

Southwest Airlines has warned employees that it will have to make "difficult decisions" ahead to boost profits as the carrier faces pressure from activist Elliott Investment Management, which has sought leadership changes at the company.Southwest over the summer announced a host of major changes to its more than 50-year-old business model to drum up revenue. It plans to ditch open seating for assigned seats, offer seats with more legroom that fetch a higher fare and start red-eye flights. It has also starte ...