Southwest Airlines and Pilots Disagree Over Causes of Flight Cancellations

Southwest Airlines continues to reel from recent storms that threw its schedules into disarray.

Tuesday, December 27, 2022 at 03:12 PM ET

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Southwest pilots blame outdated scheduling software for much of the company's cancellation woes this week. [Credit: Pixabay/F.Muhammad]

Key Takeaways:

Southwest Airlines is experiencing widespread flight cancellations and delays, leading to apologies from the airline and an investigation by the Department of Transportation.
While Southwest primarily attributes the disruption to severe weather, its pilots blame "vastly outdated" scheduling software, long-term mismanagement, and a shift in company focus from operations to finance.
The airline plans to operate only about a third of its usual flights for several days as it attempts to recover and reposition aircraft and crews, acknowledging the significant challenges for customers and employees.

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In the midst of a particularly difficult holiday travel period, Southwest Airlines [NYSE: LUV] is apologizing to passengers for hassles associated with thousands of flight cancellations, the bulk of which the company attributed to poor weather.

Meanwhile Southwest’s pilots blame the airline’s “vastly outdated” software and mismanagement of scheduling and staffing. Many of the resulting problems, the Southwest Airlines Pilots Association said, could have been anticipated if executives had implemented remedies that pilots and other employees have suggested for years.