U. S. Senate criticizes Southwest Airlines for air transportation failure
2023.02.10 00:48
U. S. Senate criticizes Southwest Airlines for air transportation failure
By Kristina Sobol
Budrigannews.com – At a hearing on Thursday to investigate Southwest Airlines’ meltdown that disrupted the travel plans of 2 million customers, senators voiced harsh criticism, with one calling the situation an “unmitigated disaster.”
A plethora of horrible travel tales were shared by senators with Southwest: People who were unable to attend funerals or holiday gatherings, passengers who were forced to drive across the country for at least 17 hours after flights were canceled, and cancer patients who were unable to receive treatment.
The airline and its pilot union offered conflicting explanations for the extensive travel disruptions caused by the low-cost carrier. The union singled out poor preparation and a failure to modernize technology, whereas Southwest cited weather effects.
It was an “unmitigated disaster” that had a “devastating impact on families,” according to Democratic Senator Jacky Rosen.
The top Republican on the Senate Commerce Committee, Ted Cruz, referred to the cancellation of more than 16,000 flights as “an epic screwup.” However, he expressed optimism that Southwest management “are committed to doing everything possible to prevent its recurrence.”
Reporters were informed by Southwest Chief Operating Officer Andrew Watterson that the airline will reduce executive bonuses for 2022 when they are awarded in March and has already paid out hundreds of millions of dollars in compensation and reimbursements for expenses.
He stated, “Executive bonuses for 2022 will be reduced as a result of this.”
Watterson stated that it has reimbursed more than 273,000 passengers affected by the meltdown out of a total of 10,782 cases. He stated that more recent submissions were being considered.
According to Watterson, “We reimbursed tire chains, strollers, car seats, and pet sitting, but things we didn’t reimburse were things like chartering a private jet or going on a $7,000 shopping spree at luxury stores.” He also stated that 96% of claims have been processed.
Watterson stated that higher requests were sent to a supervisor, while any passenger claim that was well documented and under $4,000 could be paid right away.
He acknowledged that technology issues contributed to the airline’s errors. He stated that in order to address a specific failure that occurred during the meltdown, the carrier will launch an updated crew scheduling system on Friday.
“I’ll be clear: We were wrong.” “None of this is an excuse,” he added after describing the error. He acknowledged: We do not dispute that there were technological issues during the disruption.”
“We’re always going to have these weather events, and some of us believe they’re going to become more severe,” stated Maria Cantwell, chair of the Commerce Committee. However, we want a system that is prepared to address that.”
Cantwell stated that Southwest Chief Executive Officer Bob Jordan “didn’t want to show up,” despite being invited to the hearing. According to Southwest, the hearing was in conflict with other commitments, including a Wednesday employee rally in Baltimore.
The airline is estimated to have lost more than $1 billion due to the meltdown, which resulted in the cancellation of nearly 17,000 flights. Additionally, shareholders have filed a lawsuit and the Department of Transportation has begun an investigation.
The “historic” winter storm that resulted in frozen jet bridges and icy aircraft engines was blamed by the Dallas-based airline for the service interruption.
However, Southwest’s pilot union, which is negotiating a contract with the airline, blamed the airline and its leadership for a “failure” to modernize crew management technology and processes and to prepare for the storm.
Southwest Airlines’ president, Casey Murray (NYSE:) According to the Pilots Association (SWAPA), the union has been raising concerns about the carrier’s “outdated” operational procedures and crew scheduling technology for years.
He stated, “Unfortunately, those warnings were hurriedly ignored.”
Jordan is under intense pressure to reestablish the airline’s credibility and regain customers’ trust one year after taking over due to the mishap. Jordan has offered his apologies and admitted responsibility for the problems, promising to prevent them from happening again.
Murray stated that Jordan must demonstrate through actions that the company is serious about change, despite inheriting a “massive, complex operation held together by duct tape and baling wire.”
