While Southwest’s problems on Wednesday were far more extensive than at other U.S. Next month, Southwest plans to operate about 87% of its July 2019 schedule, according to aviation research firm Cirium – further evidence that leisure travel has mostly recovered from the pandemic as millions of Americans have been vaccinated. The disruptions come as airlines gear up for what they hope will be a money-making summer. Passengers took to Twitter to complain about long delays – and also report that Southwest’s online sweepstakes promotion didn’t seem to be working either.Ī Southwest spokesman said the airline fixed what it termed a network-connectivity issue that cropped up Tuesday but was still experiencing cancellations and delays as it worked to resume normal operations. In addition, the flight to Oakland was delayed and a second departure for Las Vegas was listed as on time. flight from Denver was cancelled and the last flight from Oakland was scheduled to arrive on time later in the day.Īs for the departures, the first flight made it out but the flight leaving for Orange County and one of two flights to Las Vegas were cancelled. Combined, the disruptions affected 40% of the airline’s schedule.Īt Spokane International Airport, of the five Southwest arriving flights, three afternoon flights had arrived, a 5 p.m. Southwest Airlines said it was aware of the picket line, which was made up of all off-duty pilots, Tuesday and respected its staffers’ right to protest.DALLAS - Passengers on Southwest Airlines had to deal with canceled flights and delays for a third day on Wednesday, as the airline tried to recover from technology problems that started earlier this week.īy late afternoon Central time, Southwest had canceled nearly 400 flights and more than 1,000 were delayed, according to tracking service FlightAware. Airline workers hope the new union contract will alleviate the stress put on them. Union leaders hope a new contract, which has been in the works since 2020, will help solve the issue. Casey Murray said.Įver-changing schedules, and overscheduling, have led to an uptick in pilots calling out due to fatigue, SWAPA told the Dallas Morning News. Nearly a third of pilots are being reassigned daily, SWAPA president Capt.

The union said its 8,300 members have faced constant reassignments to flights and last-minute scheduling changes as the labor shortage and severe weather disrupt regular flight service. AP In recent months, flight delays and cancellations have risen.

Southwest Airlines pilots picketed, saying they are underpaid and overworked. While the whole industry is reeling from the pilot shortage, SWAPA said Southwest Airlines’ poor scheduling practices for pilots have compounded the issue. The pilots held up signs that said things like “Our passengers and pilots deserve better” and “Summer of Luv: delayed, rescheduled, cancelled,” in reference to an uptick in flight cancellations as the summer travel season ramps up.įlight delays and cancellations have been rising in recent months as the airline industry faces a shortage of pilots and cannot meet the increased travel demand with COVID-19 restrictions lifting across the world. The protest was held at Dallas Love Field as Southwest Airlines and the pilots’ union, Southwest Airlines Pilots Association, have been in the process of negotiating a new contract for two years. More than 1,300 Southwest Airlines pilots picketed at a Dallas airport Tuesday - saying that they’re overworked and understaffed by the airline company.

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Southwest airlines delays