Southwest has not had red-eye flights in its 54-year history, so it has always been highly unusual in the US sky. As hard as it might be to imagine, the airline couldn't schedule

Southwest (NYSE: LUV) has prided itself avoiding mass layoffs since its founding in 1967, contributing to an acclaimed work culture created by late former CEO and industry visionary Herb Kelleher that kept employees coming back for decades. The abrupt changes have raised questions about the airline's new direction.

Southwest Airlines is now offering redeye flights to passengers. The Dallas-based airline announced that the first redeye flights touched down on Feb. 14. Southwest operates five redeye flights on the following routes:

Southwest Airlines said it will slash 15% of its corporate workforce -- the first mass layoffs in the company's decades-long history -- as the airline looks to cut costs.