Southwest Airlines CEO Bob Jordan vows to avoid a repeat of last year’s catastrophic holiday delays that left THOUSANDS stranded – and says more workers, training and new cold-weather equipment and tech will prevent stem delays
- Nearly 17,000 Southwest Airlines flights were canceled last December after a winter storm caused a complete system failure blamed on outdated technology.
- It cost Southwest nearly $1.2 billion, and the airline drew sharp criticism from lawmakers, regulators and passengers.
- CEO Bob Jordan insists the airline has learned its lesson and overhauled its operations with more workers, new cold-weather equipment and better systems.
The CEO of Southwest Airlines has vowed to avoid a repeat of last year’s disastrous holiday delays that left thousands stranded at airports during the busy travel season.
About 17,000 flights were canceled last December as a winter storm caused a complete system failure that executives blamed on the company’s outdated technology.
It cost Southwest nearly $1.2 billion, and the airline drew sharp criticism from lawmakers, regulators and passengers.
CEO Bob Jordan insists the company has learned its lesson and has overhauled its operations over the past year with more workers, new cold-weather equipment and better technology.
“It’s been a terrible week,” he said Bloomberg. “But this week does not define Southwest Airlines. We are ready for winter, absolutely ready.”
The CEO of Southwest Airlines has vowed to avoid a repeat of last year’s disastrous holiday delays that left thousands stranded.
Last December, about 17,000 flights were canceled as a winter storm caused a complete system failure that executives blamed on the company’s outdated technology.
CEO Bob Jordan insists the company has learned its lesson and overhauled operations last year with more workers, new cold-weather equipment and better technology.
More than 39 million people are expected to travel through the airports between Dec. 20 and Jan. 2 this year, according to the lobbying group Airlines for America.
But last year, many airline passengers were forced to wait because of Southwest’s problems. Thousands of people are stuck in long queues trying to get help due to canceled flights and baggage piling up at airports across the country.
Jordan acknowledged that the airline has suffered short-term reputational damage, but insists there is “no indication” that customers are continuing to avoid Southwest.
The company said demand “remains strong” as the busy holiday period approaches, and some business orders were higher than expected in November and December.
Last year’s holiday chaos cost Southwest nearly $1.2 billion, and the airline drew sharp criticism from lawmakers, regulators and passengers.
Thousands of people are stuck in long queues trying to get help due to canceled flights and baggage piling up at airports across the country.
Jordan acknowledged that the airline has suffered short-term reputational damage, but insists there is “no indication” that customers are continuing to avoid Southwest Airlines.
This year, Southwest also overhauled its network planning with an operations control center, updated technology used for crew scheduling and communications, and improved early warning systems that detect potential failures.
The company introduced an “emergency response team” made up of executives and other workers who would respond to sudden problems such as hurricanes or storms.
Southwest’s new software will coordinate changes to plane and flight crew schedules caused by these disruptions.
The first tests of the procedures, when Denver received eight inches of snow, went well, Jordan said.
More than 39 million people are expected to travel through the airports between Dec. 20 and Jan. 2, according to lobbying group Airlines for America.
Southwest added de-icing trucks, trained new employees and updated its systems to better handle any problems that might arise.
New software will coordinate changes to aircraft and flight crew schedules caused by disruptions
There were 4,000 flights scheduled for that day and only seven were cancelled.
The Southwest, like most American travel destinations, also continues to recover from the slowdown in the COVID-19 pandemic. However, the airline says it has recovered more slowly than expected and is stuck at 80 percent of pre-pandemic levels.
Jordan warned it could take up to five years to fully recover, the same amount of time it took airlines to recover from 9/11.
The slow comeback meant Southwest changed its plans for the coming year, cutting short-haul routes that typically appeal to business travelers.