🎧 Listen: In today's episode of The Journal podcast, alyrose explains how Southwest Airlines found itself at the center of one of the worst travel breakdowns in years this holiday season
This transcript was prepared by a transcription service. This version may not be in its final form and may be updated.Alison Sider: Oh, no. No. I don't go anywhere over the holidays. That's a nightmare. I don't know why you would do that.
Alison Sider: People were expecting really, really cold freezing sub-zero temperatures in a lot of the country. Alison Sider: Yeah, it was bad. I mean, airlines were saying some of them had planes that were left outside that were coated in ice. They had jet bridges freezing, they had fuel pumps congealing, power outages at the airports.Speaker 6: Southwest Airlines experiencing a system wide meltdown.Speaker 8: Major meltdown at Southwest Airlines.
Ryan Knutson: The day Southwest canceled about 70% of its flights, other airlines saw cancellation rates of 10%, or even lower. Southwest has said there are a few reasons why it fared so badly. One is that the storm hit critical cities like Denver and Chicago where the airline has a lot of crew members. But the company has also singled out another factor, its own inadequate technology. One piece of technology that's come under particular scrutiny is called Sky Solver.
Ryan Knutson: With Sky Solver struggling, Southwest had to do its scheduling manually, and it was such a massive task, it recruited employees from around the company to help figure it out. Ryan Knutson: In theory, this can be more efficient because there's less downtime. For example, a southwest plane might start the day in Virginia before flying to Baltimore, Tampa, Puerto Rico, Orlando, Dallas, and then ending the day in Little Rock. And yes, that is a real route, but during storms, this point to point system can create issues.
Ryan Knutson: James and his family were rescheduled for a flight four days later, and he says Southwest promised that his checked bags, which were now trapped at the airport, would make it on his next flight. But as James and his family sat on the plane getting ready to finally fly to Sacramento, he knew their bags weren't on board. And how did you actually find out for sure that your bags weren't on it?Ryan Knutson: James had put Apple location tracking air tags inside their bags.
Ryan Knutson: What did that allow them to do, just figure out where everybody was and give them time to figure out, "Okay, Bob, flight attendant, needs to be at this airport and then get them to that location," or just sort of- Ryan Knutson: In fact, Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg has already called out Southwest by name. Here he is on CNN.
Ryan Knutson: Yesterday, Southwest took another step to compensate customers. It began doling out 25,000 frequent flyer miles to people impacted by the cancellations. In a letter to customers, Southwest CEO Bob Jordan called the miles a gesture of goodwill, saying, "I know that no amount of apologies can undo your experience." But it's not clear whether perks will be enough to regain customers' trust.
United States Latest News, United States Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Southwest Airlines Set to Resume Normal OperationsAfter a week of cancelations and delays, Southwest Airlines are resuming normal operations.
Read more »
Former airline executive, traveler advocate weighs in on class-action suit filed against Southwest AirlinesThe suit asks for money for people who had problems with their flights. It also wants Southwest to publicly admit it knew it was inevitable its operations would collapse.
Read more »
Southwest Airlines sued for not providing refunds after cancellation meltdownA Louisiana man said Southwest offered only a credit to him and his daughter after scrapping their Dec. 27 flight to Portland, Ore., from New Orleans and being unable to book alternative travel.
Read more »
Southwest Airlines is sued for not providing refunds after meltdownNEW YORK (Reuters) -Southwest Airlines has been sued by a passenger who said it failed to provide refunds to passengers left stranded when an operational meltdown led the carrier to cancel more than 15,000 flights late last month. In a proposed class action filed on Dec. 30 in New Orleans federal court, Eric Capdeville accused Southwest of breach of contract after a fierce winter storm that swept across the United States shortly before Christmas upended the carrier's schedule. Though Southwest has promised to reimburse passengers for expenses, Capdeville said it offered only a credit to him and his daughter after scrapping their Dec. 27 flight to Portland, Oregon from New Orleans and being unable to book alternative travel.
Read more »
Southwest Airlines Schedule Stabilizes After Holiday Meltdown But Costs Are Still Piling UpSouthwest said it is now focused on improving its technology that contributed to thousands of flight cancellations over the year-end holidays.
Read more »
Southwest Airlines is sued for not providing refunds after meltdownSouthwest Airlines has been sued by a passenger who said it failed to provide refunds to passengers left stranded when an operational meltdown led the carrier to cancel more than 15,000 flights late last month.
Read more »