Southwest plans to reduce capacity, reevaluate 2024 financial outlook on delivery delays from Boeing
Shares of Southwest are plunging as the airline said that it plans to reduce capacity and reevaluate its full-year financial outlook because of fewer expected aircraft deliveries from its supplier, Boeing.
US proposes replacing engine-housing parts on Boeing jets like one involved in passenger's death
Five years after a fatal accident, federal officials are proposing modifications and additional inspections to the engine housing of nearly 2,000 Boeing jets in the U.S. The proposal by the Federal Aviation Administration on Tuesday largely follows recommendations that Boeing made to airlines in July.
At Southwest Airlines, a day of calm after a week of chaos
Southwest Airlines is returning to a relatively normal flight schedule as the focus shifts to making things right with what could be well more than a million passengers who missed family connections or flights home during the holidays, and many of whom are still missing luggage.
EXPLAINER: Why airlines fear 5G will upend travel this week
The airline industry is raising the stakes in a showdown with AT&T and Verizon over plans to launch new 5G wireless service this week, warning that thousands of flights could be grounded or delayed if the rollout takes place near major airports.
Southwest Airlines orders 100 Boeing 737 Max planes
FILE - In this Wednesday, Nov. 18, 2020 file photo, a worker uses a flashlight to inspect an engine on a Boeing 737 Max 8 built for Southwest Airlines at Renton Municipal Airport in Renton, Wash. On Monday, mach 29, 2021, Southwest said it's expanding its all-Boeing fleet with an order for 100 737 MAX airplanes. (AP Photo/Ted S. Warren)NEW YORK โ Southwest Airlines said Monday it is expanding its all-Boeing fleet with an order for 100 Max jets instead of buying planes from Europe's Airbus. Southwest ordered the 150-seat 737 Max 7 and expects the first 30 to show up next year. AdCombined with past orders, Chicago-based Boeing is in line to build more than 600 Max 7 and Max 8 jets for Southwest through 2031. American and United had already resumed Max flights, and Alaska Airlines began using the plane too.
Airlines return to old ways; Southwest drops boarding change
Delta is the only airline still blocking middle seats, but there's no guarantee that'll continue past April 30. Southwest Airlines has gone back to boarding passengers in lots of 30. Southwest and several other airlines that once blocked middle seats now sell out flights if they can. The last holdout is Delta Air Lines, which has extended empty middle seats through April 30. Tuesday marked the 13th straight day that more than 1 million passengers went through U.S. airport checkpoints, according to the Transportation Security Administration.
Airlines close books on rotten 2020 and so far, 2021 is grim
An American Airlines Boeing 777 is framed by utility wires as it prepares to land at Miami International Airport, Wednesday, Jan. 27, 2021, in Miami. And now a halting rollout of vaccines threatens to further delay a recovery in travel and the travel industry. On Thursday, as airlines reported results, a new coronavirus variant identified in South Africa was found in the United States for the first time, with two cases diagnosed in South Carolina. โTravel restrictions on international have resulted in a reduction in demand,โ American Airlines CEO Doug Parker said. Ad___JETBLUE AIRWAYSJetBlue reported a loss of $381 million, after reporting a profit in the fourth quarter of 2019.
Looking to travel this year? Safest airlines for 2021 revealed
DETROIT โ For a lot of people, 2021 is going to be the year to get back to traveling. AirlineRatings.com analyzed crash records and safety compliance data of more than 100 airlines to put together a list of the 20 safest airlines for 2021. Other U.S. airlines in the top 20 were Southwest Airlines at no. 15 and United Airlines at no. The safety ratings also took a look at which airlines are handing the pandemic the best and ensuring everything is being done to keep passengers safe.
Southwest warns nearly 7,000 workers of possible furloughs
On Thursday, Dec. 3, 2020, the airline warned nearly 7,000 employees that they could lose their jobs unless labor unions accept concessions to help Southwest cope with a sharp drop in travel during the pandemic. (AP Photo/Julio Cortez, File)DALLAS โ Southwest Airlines warned nearly 7,000 workers on Thursday that they could lose their jobs unless labor unions accept concessions to help the airline cope with a sharp drop in travel caused by the pandemic. The warnings went to 6,828 employees including more than 2,500 ground workers and 1,500 flight attendants represented by the Transport Workers Union and 1,221 pilots, who have their own union. Dallas-based Southwest, the nationโs fourth-biggest airline, boasts that it has never furloughed workers in its history dating back more than 50 years. Jon Weaks, president of the pilotsโ union, called the furlough notices โa sad milestoneโ in Southwest history.
As virus cases rise, Southwest sees slower travel recovery
DALLAS โ Southwest Airlines cautioned Thursday that the tenuous recovery in air travel could be fading as coronavirus cases spike across the United States. Airline stocks surged on Monday after Pfizer reported promising early results from a trial of a coronavirus vaccine. The report from Dallas-based Southwest added to fears that the spreading virus cases will hurt travel demand heading into Thanksgiving, a key period for airlines. It is unclear whether the weakening booking trends is directly related to the surge in virus cases. Airline stocks fell in afternoon trading.
JetBlue is the latest airline to retreat from blocking seats
The days of airlines blocking seats to make passengers feel safer about flying during the pandemic are coming closer to an end. A spokesman for the carrier said Thursday that JetBlue will reduce the number of seats it blocks after Dec. 1 to accommodate families traveling together over the holidays. Southwest Airlines said last week that it will stop limiting the number of seats it fills after Dec. 1. Some airlines promised to block middle seats to create more distance between passengers. Southwest CEO Gary Kelly made a similar reference to โscientific evidenceโ that cabins are safe, but he also cited a strong financial incentive to stop blocking middle seats.
US airlines still piling up losses but say demand is rising
Southwest Airlines on Thursday, Oct. 22, lost $1.16 billion in the normally strong third quarter, which includes most of the summer vacation season. (AP Photo/Wilfredo Lee)DALLAS โ Airlines are piling up billions of dollars in additional losses as the pandemic chokes off air travel, but a recent uptick in passengers, however modest, has provided some hope. However, air travel in October is still down 65% from a year ago. The Seattle company said that removing one-time gains and costs, the loss came to $3.23 per share, which was wider than the $2.86 per share loss predicted by analysts. Earlier this month, Delta Air Lines posted a $5.4 billion loss and United Airlines lost $1.8 billion for the third quarter.
Pandemic air travel milestone; 1 million passengers screened
โ The number of passengers screened in a single day for flights in the U.S. topped one million for the first time since COVID-19 infections began to spike last March. The million plus passengers screened Sunday compares with 2.6 million on the same day last year, or roughly 60% fewer, according to the Transportation Security Administration. The TSA said that the 6.1 million passengers at U.S. checkpoints the week of Oct. 12 through Oct. 18 was the greatest volume measured since the start of the pandemic. With so little known about the virus, few wanted to board planes or walk through an airport even if they could. Airlines are now warning of mass layoffs while lobbying Congress and the White House for another $25 billion to pay workers for the next six months.
CEO says Southwest needs union pay cuts to avoid furloughs
DALLAS โ Southwest Airlines will cut pay for nonunion workers in January and says union workers must also accept less pay or face furloughs next year as the pandemic continues to hammer the airline business. Southwest will negotiate similar cuts from union workers, who represent about 85% of the workforce. Southwest Airlines Co. had about 61,000 employees in June but at least 4,200 agreed to leave. All the carriers are lobbying Congress and the White House for another $25 billion in taxpayer money to pay workers for the next six months. Southwest flight attendants began contract negotiations in late 2018, long before the pandemic.
Unfriendly skies: Airline workers brace for mass layoffs
About 40,000 workers in the airline industry are facing layoffs on Thursday, Oct. 1, unless Congress comes up with another aid package. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel, File)DETROIT โ The worries are growing for United Airlines flight attendant Jordy Comeaux. Airlines in Europe are expecting years of trouble and have acted quickly to cut jobs even as they get government rescue loans. Allie Malis, an American Airlines flight attendant in Washington, D.C., also faces layoff Thursday. Many United flight attendants, he said, took special leaves with no pay to preserve jobs for others.
Safety officials probing records of work on Southwest jets
The issue involves 88 planes that Southwest has bought from more than a dozen foreign airlines since 2013. Posey wrote that in reviewing the first 39 planes, Southwest found 30 undocumented repairs and 42 that did not conform to standards. He said FAA understood that Southwest had corrected those situations and all 39 planes met FAA airworthiness standards. The FAA's chief auditor, Clayton Foushee, said Southwest admitted it had not even translated some maintenance records into English. The FAA's concern about the Southwest planes was first reported by The Wall Street Journal.
Qantas grounds 3 Boeing 737s due to hairline cracks
CANBERRA Australian airline Qantas Airways said Friday that it grounded three of its Boeing 737s over hairline cracks in wing structures but expects the planes to be repaired and flying again before the end of the year. American, United and Delta representatives said Friday that inspections have turned up none of the structural cracks in their NGs. Virgin said on Friday it had inspected 19 of its 737s and found no cracks. Association secretary Steve Purvinas on Friday maintained his call for all Qantas 737s to be grounded. The hairline cracks on older 737s were discovered as Boeing works to get its newer 737 Max jets back in the air.
Southwest agents hold worst driver's license photo contest during delay
A Southwest Airlines Boeing 737-700 passenger jet taxis on the tarmac after arriving at Los Angeles International Airport. ORLANDO, Florida (CNN) - For travelers, there are few things more annoying than a delayed flight. That's what Kristen Dundas of Windermere, Florida, thought until her Southwest Airlines flight from Orlando to Washington was delayed Thursday -- and she actually ended up enjoying the experience. The tweet included a video showing a gate agent hosting a contest for the "worst driver's license picture." In reply to Dundas' tweet, a Southwest Airlines representative replied: "I'm glad our agent was able to make the delay a little more bearable for y'all, Kristen!
Flight attendant greets passengers from inside overhead bin
One Southwest Airlines employee literally put herself into the fray when it came to jockeying for overhead bin space. NASHVILLE, Tenn. - One Southwest Airlines employee literally put herself into the travel fray when it came to jockeying for overhead bin space. Passenger Veronica Lloyd was surprised to find a flight attendant in the overhead compartment on her flight from Nashville to Atlanta on Monday. "So I guess I was unaware of the [flight attendants] wanting to have a sense of humor during flights for Southwest, but it certainly was entertaining." In this case, the flight attendant "attempted to have a brief moment of fun with customers during boarding," the airline said in a statement.
Southwest ceasing operations at Newark airport
Getty Images(CNN) - Southwest Airlines is ceasing operations at Newark Liberty International Airport because of the continued grounding of the Boeing 737 Max. The 737 Max grounding is hurting other parts of Southwest's business. Southwest recorded a $175 million operating loss because of the grounding, Southwest revealed in its second-quarter earnings report, released Thursday. The 737 Max was grounded worldwide in March following the crash in Ethiopia that killed everyone on board. The Fort Worth-based carrier said it will take a $400 million profit hit because of the prolonged 737 Max grounding.
2 Southwest planes collided in Nashville, Tenn
(CNN) - Two planes are out of service after a collision knocked the "S" out of Southwest on one of the aircraft. On Saturday, two Southwest planes were pushing back from the gate at Nashville International Airport, one headed to St. Louis and the other to Atlanta, according to a statement from Southwest Airlines. They backed into each other, with one clipping the winglet of the other, the statement said. No injuries were reported, and the planes were able to return to the gates on their own, according to the release. The aircraft were taken out of service to be evaluated, and passengers were put on other planes to continue to their destinations, the airline said.