It shows he is prepared to say the difficulty of recovering from the storm “created an unprecedented amount and frequency of required changes to Crew schedules that overwhelmed our Crew Scheduling processes and technology.” Southwest declined to comment on the union’s allegations ahead of the hearing.Ī copy of Watterson’s testimony, obtained ahead of the hearing by CNN, included an apology to travelers and employees for the disruption. More than 10,000 pilots rode in passenger seats, headed to another assignment in a choreography the union called “inefficient.” The union says the airline operated more than 500 empty flights to reposition planes – and it contends the aircraft could have carried passengers. The testimony also provided new details about what was happening behind the scenes while the airline’s schedule fell apart. “Since 2011, SWA has averaged one major operational failure every 18 months,” the testimony said. The pilots’ union is testified that Watterson and Jordan, who began their roles just over a year ago, “inherited a massive, complex operation held together by duct tape and baling wire.” Technology failures were predictable and avoidable because the system has failed multiple times “with increasing frequency and magnitude.” The Department of Transportation is investigating, including whether the airline scheduled more flights than it could handle. Southwest CEO Bob Jordan apologized and the airline offered reimbursements for passengers’ costs, along with bonus points. More than 16,700 flights were canceled and 2 million passengers stranded, scuttling holiday plans and leaving mountains of unclaimed baggage nationwide. Insiders at Southwest reveal how the airline's service imploded Southwest blames the ongoing issue on its IT software, which it called 'vastly outdated.'Southwest Airlines schedule meltdown continues, Baltimore, USA - Jim Lo Scalzo/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock The airline has canceled nearly 11,000 flights since a winter storm barreled through the US on 22 December. Mandatory Credit: Photo by JIM LO SCALZO/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock (13686591k)Southwest Airlines planes at Baltimore Washington International Airport (BWI) after Southwest Airlines cancelled another 3,000 flights for the day in Baltimore, Maryland, USA, 28 December 2022. Lawmakers are set to question Southwest executive Andrew Watterson, alongside Southwest pilot union president Casey Murray, Sharon Pinkerton of the Airlines for America trade group, Paul Hudson of Flyers’ Rights, and economist Clifford Winston of The Brookings Institution. “Scheduling is so far behind we were told we aren’t allowed to walk over and talk to them.” “No updates here,” another cockpit computer message to pilots read. It’s a mess down here.”Ī photograph of the message, which shows the extent of the airline’s breakdown, was included in testimony the pilots’ union, SWAPA, presented at the hearing.Īs planes stood still at the height of the debacle, crewmembers sat stranded, unable to communicate with their dispatchers and schedulers. “Sched is asking to confirm who is operating this flight,” the message read. Southwest meltdown may cost the airline up to $825 millionĪmong the union’s evidence is a message sent during the meltdown to a cockpit computer from the airline’s dispatchers asking what crew is onboard the plane. More than 15,000 flights have been canceled by Southwest since winter weather began impacting air travel on December 22. That’s on top of bonuses that were already given for holidays and flight reassignments.A traveler searches for a suitcase in a baggage holding area for Southwest Airlines at Denver International Airport on Decemin Denver, Colorado. Southwest gave approximately $45 million to its pilots’ union, which works out to about $4,500 per pilot. In January, the carrier also offered millions in bonus pay to its employees for holiday disruptions, which left many workers helpless, and stranded passengers. Southwest and its pilots might still be far apart, but in the past few months it has struck collective bargaining agreements with other work groups, including its meteorologists and its customer service employees. “This anticipated authorization vote result does not change our commitment to the negotiation process, and we look forward to continuing discussions with SWAPA at the negotiating table.” “Our negotiating team continues to bargain in good faith and work toward reaching a new agreement to reward our Pilots,” replied Adam Carlisle, vice president of labor relations at Southwest Airlines, in a statement of his own. “Our pilots are tired of apologizing to our passengers on behalf of a company that refuses to place its priorities on its internal and external customers.” “The lack of leadership and the unwillingness to address the failures of our organization have led us to this point,” said Casey Murray, president of the Southwest Airlines Pilots Association, in a statement.
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