Tag Archives: Southwest Airlines

Axios reports: Southwest Airlines has been in damage-control mode since its December holiday meltdown, working to defend its reputation. Now, that episode has an actual price tag. The airline said today the snafu cost it $800 million in the fourth quarter, driving it to a net Q4 loss. And it expects to take another $300 million to $350 million hit …

CNN Business reports: The US Transportation Department said it is in the early stages of an investigation into the Southwest Airlines holiday travel meltdown in December. The probe includes an examination of whether Southwest is scheduling more flights than it can handle. “DOT is in the initial phase of a rigorous and comprehensive investigation into Southwest Airlines’ holiday debacle that …

Reuters reports: Shareholders filed a lawsuit against Southwest Airlines Co on Thursday, accusing the carrier of fraudulently concealing problems that led last month to an operational meltdown and more than 15,000 flight cancellations. According to the proposed class action filed in federal court in Houston, Southwest publicly downplayed or failed to disclose serious shortcomings in its flight scheduling software technology. …

ABC News reports: The holiday meltdown at Southwest Airlines last month cost the company as much as $825 million in lost revenue and added expenses, the company said in a government filing on Friday. Southwest, the largest domestic airline in the U.S., canceled more than 16,000 flights over an 11-day period at the end of December, the filing said. Southwest …

CBS News reports: Southwest Airlines, which angered customers with thousands of flight cancellations over the holidays, is offering 25,000 frequent-flier points to travelers who were affected by the epic meltdown. Southwest CEO Bob Jordan wrote in a letter to impacted travelers that the 25,000 points have a value of more than $300, will never expire and carry no blackout dates. …

The Hill reports: The CEO of Southwest Airlines, Bob Jordan, promised that the airline will provide reimbursements to those who were affected by its thousands of cancellations over the past week, saying the “desire is to go above and beyond.” Jordan said in an interview on ABC’s “Good Morning America” on Friday that the storm that led to the airline …

CNN reports: Southwest Airlines says it’s set up to resume normal schedules on Friday after a tumultuous eight days that left hundreds of thousands of passengers delayed or stranded and prompted its executives to make apologies to the riding public and government officials. In a statement released Thursday — following another bruising day in which a further 2,362 flights were …

USA Today reports: It’s not just thousands of people with canceled Southwest Airlines flights being stranded at airports across the nation, but also thousands of pieces of their checked in luggage – even if the owner never got on a flight.  Some passengers said they have been separated from baby gear, medicine and other important items. In the immediate aftermath …

Salon reports: Sen. Bernie Sanders today urged the Transportation Department to ensure Southwest’s chief executive pays a price for mass U.S. flight cancellations that have left passengers and employees stranded around the country, throwing lives into chaos and drawing further attention to the company’s business practices. Bob Jordan, who has worked for Southwest for decades and became the company’s CEO …

The Associated Press reports: Families hoping to catch a Southwest Airlines flight after days of cancellations, missing luggage and missed family connections suffered through another wave of scrubbed flights, with another 2,500 pulled from arrival and departure boards Wednesday. According to the FlightAware tracking service, more than 91% of all canceled flights in the U.S. Wednesday were from Southwest. This …

The Associated Press reports: Major U.S. airlines were broadsided by the massive weekend winter storm that swept across large swaths of the country but had largely recovered heading into Monday, except for one. Problems at Southwest Airlines appeared to snowball after the worst of the storm passed. The disparity has triggered a closer look at Southwest operations by the U.S. …

CNN Business reports: Air travelers in the US hoping for clear skies on Tuesday following a disastrous week of weather-related flight cancellations and delays will have to extend their patience a few more days — particularly if they’re flying with Southwest Airlines. More than 2,845 flights within, into or out of the US have already been canceled for Tuesday as …

The New York Times reports: Thousands of travelers were stranded at U.S. airports on Monday as a wave of canceled flights — many of them operated by Southwest Airlines — spoiled holiday plans and kept families from returning home during one of the busiest and most stressful travel stretches of the year. More than 3,700 flights in the United States …

Click2Houston reports: A woman who the FBI said forced a Southwest Airlines plane from Houston to Columbus, Ohio, to make an emergency landing in Little Rock, Arkansas on Saturday said in midflight that “Jesus told her to open the plane door,” court documents released Monday said. Documents released by the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Arkansas say …

The Associated Press reports: A former Southwest Airlines flight attendant who was fired after sparring with her union president over abortion and other issues won a $5.1 million jury verdict against the airline and the union. If it stands, Charlene Carter could collect $4.15 million from Southwest and $950,000 from Local 556 of the Transport Workers Union, mostly in punitive …

NBC News reports: A California woman who admitted punching a Southwest Airlines flight attendant after being asked to wear a mask and fasten her seatbelt was sentenced to 15 months in prison Friday and ordered to pay more than $30,000 in fines and restitution, officials said. Vyvianna Quinonez, 29, will remain on supervised release for three years and attend anger …

From the Justice Department: Antonio Sherrodd McGarity, 34, of Arlington, Texas, pleaded guilty last week to Lewd, Indecent, or Obscene Acts While on an Aircraft and was sentenced by U.S. Magistrate Judge Deborah M. Fine to 48 days in prison, followed by one year of probation. McGarity is also prohibited from flying commercially in the United States while on probation. …

The Daily Beast reports: A man on a Southwest Airlines flight from Seattle to Phoenix is facing federal charges for pulling down his pants and masturbating at least four times in front of a female passenger, beginning shortly after takeoff, according to a criminal complaint first obtained by The Daily Beast. Antonio Sherrodd McGarity was arrested by officers from the …

The Independent reports: A man who was allegedly seen in a viral video punching a Southwest Airlines employee after being removed from a flight has been charged with battery. Courney Drummond was arrested on Tuesday at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport. His charges include simple battery, battery, and obstruction, according to law enforcement. Police have said that Mr Drummond was removed …

USA Today reports: Southwest Airlines will resume the sale of alcoholic beverages on Feb. 16 after a nearly two-year absence due to COVID concerns. The move will leave American Airlines as the only major U.S. airline still not serving alcohol in economy. The airline planned to resume inflight cocktails, beer and wine in June 2021 but scrapped those plans after …