Written by 1:01 am Travel Views: [tptn_views]

Southwest Airlines’ staffing, tech improvement plan after holiday mess

Travelers check in on the Southwest Airlines ticket counter in the course of the busy holiday season at Orlando International Airport on December 28, 2022 in Orlando, Florida.

Paul Hennessy | Anadolu Agency | Getty Images

Southwest AirlinesThe CEO said the corporate would increase winter staffing and equipment to avoid a repeat of the year-end mass holiday cancellations that cost the corporate thousands and thousands of dollars and left tens of hundreds of travellers.

In a filing ahead of its investor conference, Southwest said it continued to accomplish that expect a loss in the primary quarter after revenues totaled as much as $350 million consequently of last 12 months’s holiday mess, when greater than 16,000 flights were canceled within the last 10 days of 2022, drawing criticism from Washington.

Southwest said it expects unit costs, excluding fuel, to grow as much as 6.5% year-on-year this quarter, greater than its January forecast of not more than 4%.

The company will buy more aircraft de-icing equipment and increase employment. Bitter temperatures during a series of storms before Christmas last 12 months limited the time crews were in a position to spend outside, Southwest said.

The airline may even refine technology to raised predict how long de-icing may take, and has refined one among its planning platforms to make sure it is satisfactorily staffed for flights when something goes mistaken.

“We understand the basis causes that led to the vacation disruption and are confirming our internal assessment with a 3rd party review. Now we expect to cut back the danger of an event of this magnitude happening again,” CEO Bob Jordan said in a press release. “Work is underway to implement measures to arrange for next winter – some elements have already been accomplished.”

[mailpoet_form id="1"]
Close