Tag Archives: Southwest Airlines

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 …

CNN reports: A Tennessee woman turned herself into the FBI on Tuesday after she was accused of assaulting two flight attendants during a Spirit Airlines flight last month, the Justice Department announced. Amanda Renee Henry was charged in a criminal complaint with interfering with a flight crew, after an incident on a November 27 flight from Fort Lauderdale, Florida, to …

San Diego’s NBC News affiliate reports: Vyvianna Quinonez of Sacramento, 28, admitted that while on a May 23 flight from Sacramento to San Diego, she hit a Southwest Airlines flight attendant identified only as S.L. in court documents. The victim suffered injuries that included three chipped teeth — two of which sustained serious enough damage that they were replaced with …

USA Today reports: Southwest Airlines CEO Gary Kelly has tested positive for COVID-19 after a high-profile Senate commerce committee hearing in Washington, D.C. Kelly, who recently announced plans to retire in early 2022, tested positive after experiencing mild symptoms, Southwest spokeswoman Brandy King said. She said he tested negative “multiple” times before the Wednesday hearing. He is fully vaccinated and …

ABC News reports: A woman has been arrested after punching a Southwest Airlines employee in the head during boarding for a flight out of a Dallas airport, police said. Arielle Jean Jackson, 32, was arrested Saturday afternoon at Love Field, Dallas police said. Police said Jackson has been charged with aggravated assault. Police said that Jackson first had a verbal …

The Washington Post reports: Southwest Airlines is conducting an internal investigation after one of its pilots reportedly said a phrase used in right-wing circles as a stand-in for swearing at President Biden over the plane’s public address system — apologizing to customers and insisting it does not condone employees sharing personal political opinions while on the job. The airline faced …

The Associated Press reports: South Carolina Republican Jeff Duncan wore a “Let’s Go Brandon” face mask at the Capitol last week. Texas Sen. Ted Cruz posed with a “Let’s Go Brandon” sign at the World Series. Sen. Mitch McConnell’s press secretary retweeted a photo of the phrase on a construction sign in Virginia. The line has become conservative code for …

CNBC reports: A federal judge in Texas denied Southwest Airlines pilots union’s request to temporarily block a vaccine mandate for employees, which is a requirement under new government rules. Dallas-based Southwest Airlines must require staff to be fully vaccinated against Covid-19 by Dec. 8 unless they receive a religious or medical exemption, according to rules for federal contractors that the …

The Dallas Morning News reports: Southwest Airlines and the union representing its pilots say that crew members didn’t call out of work sick to protest vaccine mandates and cripple the carrier’s operations during the busy holiday weekend. The Dallas-based airline has canceled more than 2,000 flights since Friday afternoon, citing a mix of bad weather, air traffic control issues and …

CNN Business reports: The long weekend got a bit longer for Southwest customers after the airline canceled more than 2,000 flights Friday through Sunday. The world’s largest low-cost carrier canceled three of every 10 departures it had scheduled on Sunday and the disruption continued into Monday, a federal holiday, with 337 flights — or about one in 10 — canceled …

USA Today reports: Stranded Southwest passengers across the country are struggling with a second day of mass flight cancellations by the nation’s largest domestic airline. Southwest has canceled 1,006 Sunday flights as of 11 a.m. ET, according to flight tracker FlightAware. That’s 27% of the the airline’s scheduled flights and the highest of any U.S. airline by a wide margin. …

The Associated Press reports: Southwest Airlines on Monday became the latest U.S. airline to require its employees to be vaccinated against COVID-19. Southwest has 54,000 employees. The Dallas-based company said its workers must be fully vaccinated by Dec. 8 in order to remain at the airline. Employees can seek approval to skip the shots due to medical or religious reasons. …

The Hill reports: Southwest Airlines will provide vaccinated workers with extra pay, according to a company memo sent to employees Wednesday, joining other airlines in pushing employees to get vaccinated against COVID-19. The Dallas-based company will provide two days of bonus pay, or 13 trip segments of extra pay for flight attendants and pilots, to employees who show proof of …

USA Today reports: Southwest Airlines does not plan to resume onboard alcohol sales until at least January, according to a memo sent to flight attendants on Friday. The timeline is tied to the extension of the federal mask mandate on airplanes and at airports. “With the mask mandate being extended to January 18, 2022, there are no current plans to …

CBS Los Angeles reports: A California woman now faces federal assault and interfering with a flight crew charges after she allegedly attacked a Southwest Airlines flight attendant on a flight from San Diego to Sacramento in May. The incident occurred, according to prosecutors, after the flight attendant asked the woman to place her mask above her nose. Vyvianna Quinonez, the …