Andrew Watterson, Chief Operating Officer of Southwest Airlines, is set to appear before the Senate's Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee to explain the airline's holiday travel debacle that led to 16,000 flight cancellations and millions of passengers getting stranded. Watterson will tell the committee that the airline "messed up" due to a winter storm and operational shortfalls, and has since taken steps to ensure similar problems do not occur in the future. The hearing is expected to provide further insight into the incident and result in recommendations for how airlines can better handle similar situations.
Posts tagged as “Southwest Airlines”
At Austin-Bergstrom International Airport on Saturday, a potentially catastrophic collision between a FedEx cargo jet and a Southwest Airlines jet was narrowly avoided. The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) said the FedEx aircraft had been cleared to land on the same runway as the Southwest flight, but the FedEx flight "discontinued the landing and initiated a climb out" and the two aircraft passed each other with an estimated separation of 1,000 feet. The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) is now investigating the incident, which serves as a reminder of the importance of air traffic controllers in ensuring safety. The FAA is committed to ensuring the safety of the traveling public and is working with the NTSB to determine the facts of this incident.
A severe ice storm has caused disruption to air travel in the South and central United States, with over 1,200 flights cancelled and 1,600 delayed. Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport and Dallas Love Field were particularly affected, with Southwest Airlines reporting over 300 cancelled flights. The storm is expected to continue into Wednesday, with further disruption to air travel likely.
North Texas travelers experienced hundreds of flight cancellations and delays on Monday due to cold, wet weather and a chance of freezing rain. Dallas Love Field and Dallas Fort Worth International Airports saw 30% and 15% of flights canceled respectively, while dozens of flights were also canceled in Denver and Austin. Southwest Airlines, based in Dallas, is still recovering from an operations meltdown over the summer and travelers are advised to check their flight status before heading to the airport.
US Transportation Department Launches Investigation into Southwest Airlines’ Holiday Travel Meltdown
US Transportation Department Launches Investigation into Southwest Airlines’ Holiday Travel Meltdown
The US Transportation Department has launched an investigation into Southwest Airlines' December holiday travel meltdown, which saw 16,700 flights canceled and the airline losing between $400 million and $425 million in lost ticket revenue. The department's spokesperson said the investigation is "rigorous and comprehensive" and will look into whether executives overscheduled flights, which is considered an unfair and deceptive practice under federal law.
Southwest Airlines has been making strides in processing refunds for customers who were affected by the thousands of canceled flights last week. However, the airline…
Southwest Airlines CEO Robert Jordan on Thursday apologized for the disruption and said the carrier was “extremely sorry” for the customer inconvenience. Jordan said Southwest’s…