![]() “It was supposed to leave yesterday and now I’m leaving now,” said McCullom. There's talk of staffing issues as industry experts believe there are bigger-picture problems happening for the airline industry.Īs of Tuesday, the delays and cancellations were at a much lower rate, with numbers improving throughout the morning, according to FlightAware.Īt its worst on Sunday, 1 out of 4 Southwest flights didn't take off, leaving passengers stuck in airports across the country.Įrica McCullom said it was her first businesses trip since before the start of the pandemic and it did not go as planned. ![]() "They know that they need to have more of a backup.” “They’ve been criticized somewhat for not having enough of a cushion and even some self-criticism," Josephs said. ![]() She said it’s forced the airline to look ahead at staffing to prevent this from happening again. “Their schedule on Sunday was the highest number of flights they’ve had since April 2020.” “They apologized for it, but they have affected the travel plans of tens of thousands of customers,” she said. CNBC airline reporter Leslie Josephs said deciding exactly who or what to blame isn’t an easy answer but staffing issues are a major part of the problem. Since Friday, Southwest has canceled well over 2,000 flights coast to coast. Travel troubles continue for the Dallas-based carrier, as flight delays and cancellations created a domino effect at airports across the country. Southwest's pilots, represented by the Southwest Airlines Pilots Association, have similar issues with the airline and have also fired off letters to Southwest executives this month to complain about working conditions.It has been a turbulent past few days for Southwest Airlines. ►Feud with mechanics: Southwest declares operations emergency "Despite the challenges we face, Southwest Airlines values and respects all employees and will never seek to make light of issues that are important to you,'' the memo to flight attendants said. In a memo to employees, Southwest called the timing "coincidental and unfortunate.'' The airline said it has used the same line in previous ads, posting one from a June Facebook post.Īfter the union's concerns were raised, the airline said it changed the wording within two hours. The union alleges that Southwest took a swipe at its new slogan in an online fare sale ad this week, with a pitch for $49 tickets accompanied by the line, "Yes way.'' And all of us are trying to keep the jobs we love, keep our customers happy and keep our carrier in the air.'' Many of us are making choices that can have grave impact to our jobs, our customers and our company. Some of us – far too many of us – are sick. "Flight attendants are weary, exhausted, frustrated and forgotten. "But today, we write to tell you that we have given all we have left to give,'' the letter says. ![]() Employees say they put the airline and its customers first during the pandemic, sometimes above their own families, and have "rolled with the changes'' and "untenable work conditions'' the pandemic brought. The airline's flight attendants union, Transport Workers Union Local 556, this week sent a letter to Southwest CEO Gary Kelly demanding fixes. The flight attendants have begun virtual picketing with the slogan, "No way, SWA,'' promoting it via a petition, and the pilots are planning airport picketing during the busy holiday travel season at the end of the year. The large employee groups, which are each in union contract negotiations with the airline, have been pressing Southwest for changes but say they have seen limited relief. So they are taking the pressure up a notch and to the public. They also have issues with the airline's COVID protocols for flight crews who are notified of exposure to the virus. So far in August, Southwest has canceled 3.3% of its flights, fewer than American but higher than United and Delta, according to Cirium.įlight crews say their work schedules have been thrown into disarray, with trips repeatedly extended at the last minute to cover shortfalls, and a scramble to find hotels and food on the road, shortening typical rest periods between flights. ![]() In July, Southwest canceled 1.6% of all flights, including international flights, about equal to American and fewer than United (2.3%) but far more than Delta. ![]()
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