Southwest Airlines

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Air Traffic Staff to Alarmingly Low Flight: 'You Good?'

Southwest flight drops to 500 feet above ground in Oklahoma, triggering air traffic control concern

(Newser) - If you're low-key wary of flying lately, we can't say we blame you , and the latest news out of Oklahoma probably won't ease your concerns. The Federal Aviation Administration is looking into Southwest Flight 4069 out of Las Vegas, which dipped to an alarmingly low altitude just...

Airliner Plunged, Stopping Just Above Ocean Off Hawaii

FAA investigates Southwest flight after first officer's error

(Newser) - A Southwest Airlines pilot inadvertently sent a Boeing Co. 737 Max 8 into a plunge off the coast of Hawaii, dropping at a rate of more than 4,000 feet per minute before the flight crew pulled the plane up. A Southwest memo to pilots said the airliner came within...

'Dutch Roll' at 34K Feet Damages Boeing 737 Max

Southwest flight landed in Oakland without injuries

(Newser) - A Southwest Airlines plane went into a rare wobble in midair last month, causing substantial damage to the Boeing 737 Max 8's tail section and prompting a federal investigation. The Phoenix-to-Oakland flight reached its destination without injury to the 175 passengers and six crew members, per CBS News . The...

Southwest Is Ending Service to 4 Airports

Airline has been hit hard by Boeing's problems

(Newser) - Delays to delivery of Boeing aircraft have been "very painful," Southwest Airlines CEO Bob Jordan said Thursday after the airline disclosed rising losses in the first quarter of this year. He said the company is "reacting and replanning quickly to mitigate the operational and financial impact."...

At Reagan Airport, a Near Disaster on Runway

Southwest plane nearly crossed runway in front of departing JetBlue plane Thursday in Virginia

(Newser) - Two planes nearly collided at Reagan National Airport in Arlington, Virginia, on Thursday, and might have done so if an air traffic controller hadn't yelled "Stop!" Around 7:40am, an air traffic controller instructed Southwest Flight 2937 to cross runway 4 on its way to runway 1....

These Are the Best Airlines in America

Alaska Airlines tops WalletHub's overall list for 2024

(Newser) - The safest airline in the US also happens to be the cheapest—and yet, not the best overall. That's according to WalletHub , which compared the nine largest US airlines and one regional carrier (SkyWest, which serves more than one major airline) across 13 metrics, including cost, delays, cancellations, injuries,...

Boeing Airliner Loses Engine Cover at Takeoff

Southwest flight makes emergency landing in Denver

(Newser) - A Southwest Airlines jet returned to Denver on Sunday morning after the engine cover fell off and struck the wing flap during takeoff, the Federal Aviation Administration reports. The Boeing 737 landed safely, and the passengers headed to Houston were being put onto another aircraft, Southwest said in a statement,...

Southwest Takes Big Hit From DOT for 2022 Holiday Fiasco

Agency levies $140M fine; airline says it's 'grateful to have reached a consumer-friendly settlement'

(Newser) - If you were caught up in Southwest's holiday chaos last year and found yourself at any point muttering, "Someone's got to pay for this," your wish has been granted. The Department of Transportation on Monday announced it's hitting the airline with a $140 million fine,...

Southwest Passenger Climbs Out of Plane, Jumps to Tarmac

The man was taken to a hospital for a mental health evaluation

(Newser) - A Southwest Airlines passenger was hospitalized for evaluation Sunday night after he opened an emergency hatch on an aircraft, climbed out onto the wing, and jumped down onto the tarmac, authorities say. Witnesses say the man ran across the tarmac at Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport and tried to...

Mom: Southwest Accused Me of Trafficking My Own Daughter

Mary MacCarthy, who's white, says she and her biracial 10-year-old child were racially profiled

(Newser) - A single mom has sued Southwest, accusing the airline of racial discrimination after a flight attendant suspected she may have been trafficking a child—her own daughter. NBC News reports that Mary MacCarthy, who's white, was traveling with her then-10-year-old daughter, Moira, who's Black, in October 2021 from...

Fellow Passengers Bring Man 'Back to Life'

Emily Raines and Daniel Shifflett, both nurses, save a man with no pulse aboard plane

(Newser) - After a four-day cruise in the Bahamas, Baltimore couple Emily Raines and Daniel Shifflett were eager to get home. So eager, in fact, that they twice tried to switch to an earlier flight out of Fort Lauderdale, where their cruise ship docked around 9am on May 1. Ultimately, they stuck...

White House Is Cracking Down on Airline Cancellations

Airlines would have to reimburse customers for delays that were within their control

(Newser) - The Biden administration is proposing new regulations that would require airlines to compensate passengers and cover their meals and hotels if they are stranded for reasons within the airline's control. As the AP reports, President Biden and Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg were unveiling the plan on Monday. It continues...

Epic Plane Outburst Began With 'Shut That Baby Up'

Southwest Airlines passenger forcibly removed by police in Orlando

(Newser) - Orlando police had to escort a Southwest Airlines passenger from a plane on Monday after what USA Today calls an "adult tantrum" over a crying baby. Passenger Mark Grabowski recorded a nearly 4-minute viral video of the outburst as the flight, bound for Fort Lauderdale, was stuck in a...

Here's How America's Major Airlines Rank

WalletHub places Delta at the top of its list

(Newser) - Finding the cheapest flight is often a traveler's priority, but there are other reasons to pick one airline over the other. WalletHub checked out the nine largest US carriers, plus two regional airlines, to see how they ranked on everything from baggage, departures, and safety, to in-flight comfort (think...

Southwest Resumes Flying After Nationwide Grounding

Tech glitch briefly kept planes from flying, but now many flights are delayed

(Newser) - Southwest has resumed flights after all were briefly grounded Tuesday morning because of a tech glitch. Those flying on the airline can expect delays, however: Roughly 40% were behind schedule as of noon, reports USA Today . The company's explanation for the snafu: "Early this morning, a vendor-supplied firewall...

Southwest's Meltdown Doesn't Hurt CEO's Bottom Line

Robert Jordan's compensation for 2022 topped $5M

(Newser) - Southwest Airlines CEO Robert Jordan's compensation nearly doubled last year to $5.3 million after being promoted to the top job during a year that ended with massive flight cancellations that will cost Southwest more than $1 billion. Southwest disclosed in a proxy filed Thursday that the estimated value...

Another Not-Great Run for Southwest
Southwest Cannot
Catch a Break
Mar 6, 2023 12:25 PM CST

Southwest Cannot Catch a Break

One engine on fire out of Cuba, and one pretty harrowing flight diverts to Myrtle Beach

(Newser) - Southwest is really having a sub-par time of it lately. The airline that can catch no breaks continued its run of catching no breaks with a pair of incidents in recent days that are keeping its public-relations department hopping:
  • To get the weekend off to a rocking start, a Southwest
...

Woman Dies After a Fall on Southwest Airlines' Jet Bridge

Gaby Assouline was paralyzed from the neck down

(Newser) - In February of last year, Gaby Assouline was boarding a Southwest Airlines flight when her electric wheelchair hit a junction on the jet bridge and flipped over, throwing her from the chair, her family says. Nearly a year later, the 25-year-old is dead. Assouline's family says she landed on...

The Ice Man Groundeth 1K Flights in Texas

Southwest is not having a particularly cheery day again

(Newser) - Winter weather brought ice to Texas and nearby states Tuesday, causing the cancellation of more than 1,300 flights and delaying nearly as many more. Numerous auto collisions were reported in Austin, with at least one fatality. In Travis County, Texas, which includes Austin, police and sheriff’s deputies have...

American, Southwest Post Drastically Different Q4 Stats

American sees a profit of $803M; Southwest takes $220M loss after a chaotic December

(Newser) - American Airlines offered more proof Thursday of the recovery in air travel, posting a better-than-expected profit for the fourth quarter, while Southwest Airlines lost money because of massive flight cancellations last month. Southwest said it also expects another loss in the first quarter, though it added it was encouraged by...

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