Southwest Airlines in a nationwide meltdown

[Anonymous]

We have been loyal SWA airlines for over 20 years. Today has been awful and we are done. We were confirmed on a flight today—direct flight, no weather issues. Yesterday late they bumped one of our kids and put her on a “security check-in” status. Phone agent unable to fix that. Early this morning they bumped our other 2 kids—who already had boarding passes! My spouse was up overnight — noticed that even though the flight was sold out yesterday and they had bumped our kids, they had added tickets for sale that were then immediately gone (he tried to buy one for our bumped kid). They had clearly added tickets to our flight to rebook passengers displaced from other plans so that they could oversell our already oversold flight even more and then bump our other children for people from previous days. Then they pushed our kids way down the standby list because our kids aren’t A list preferred (we are, but not the kids). We were forced to give up all our seats — as we clearly couldn’t leave all our kids at the airport. They booked us another a non-direct flight but it was cancelled. They told us no more flights this week.

The flight at the next gate to us was sitting there for four hours because they were short one flight attendant. They found a flight attendant but then could not get anyone at SWA to answer the phone to approve the crew swap. For hours. I doubt the plane ever took off.

I spent six hours on hold with SWA and never did talk to anyone. And the website is non functional today.

SWA has really nice employees that I think are a hold over from years ago where it was a good place to work. I feel bad for them that the corporate overlords have ruined this company.

[Anonymous]

DH is supposed to fly SW tomorrow. He has already reserved a car just in case. It is a 9 hour drive but he will get here.

[Anonymous]

SWA is going to be down for 5-7 days. Be ready to drive.

Here’s what’s happening per an SWA employee:

PSA from a SWA employee since the company won’t give any info

On behalf of all employees: WE ARE SORRY! I will give it to you straight- this meltdown was caused entirely by Southwest. It was triggered by the storm, but the failure to recover quickly is on Southwest 100%. If you are still hearing “weather” almost a week after the storm, it’s not true.

Couple main points:

1. Please be patient with us. We desperately want to do everything we can to get you where you’re going.

2. This shitstorm is because the crew scheduling software went belly up and it almost all has to be unraveled over the phone with crew members calling scheduling. If we had better technology which eliminated the need for phone calls, this would have been fixed by now.

3. If you are able to find alternative transportation to your final destination- DO IT. Another airline, bus, train, Lyft, rental car, ANYTHING. Southwest WILL NOT be able to get you to your destination anytime in the next few days.

4. Like I said, it’s gonna take at least a week to get back to normal operations for Southwest.

If anyone has questions, I will try to answer them. I work ground ops at one of SWA’s hubs.

Source: https://www.reddit.com/r/SouthwestAirlines/comments/zw32yt/psa_from_a_swa_employee_since_the_company_wont/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=ios_app&utm_name=iossmf

[Anonymous]

We’ve known for *weeks* that weather this holiday season would be particularly bad.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We’ve known for *weeks* that weather this holiday season would be particularly bad.

Nah, dude. This is a complete annihilation of SWA’s business model. The corporate executives failed and they should be deposed.

Cancelation rate for today:
SWA: 70%
Spirit: 20%
DL: 9%
UA: 5%
Alaska: 16%
JetBlue: 6%
Frontier: 9%
American: 0%

One of these things is not like the others…

[Anonymous]

This isn't about the weather. I wonder if the SWA employees have decided to quiet quit this week.

I flew on Delta today - 2 legs - and while the crew was late for the second flight we were able to eventually get to our destination. First leg had no issues.

When I arrived at my destination - a large airport in Texas- the SWA gates all had long lines of people many of whom were sitting in chairs that had been pulled in from the nearest food courts because I guess they had been waiting so long. Trash all over the floor. Then I got outside the secured area and the SWA checkin desk line pretty much took up the entire area, down a long corridor and into another checkin area. Nuts.

I love Delta and rarely have issues with them. I grew up flying SWA (Texan) but as an adult I avoid like them plague. They are less than shadow of their former selves ever since the appeal of the Wright Amendment.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:This isn't about the weather. I wonder if the SWA employees have decided to quiet quit this week.

I flew on Delta today - 2 legs - and while the crew was late for the second flight we were able to eventually get to our destination. First leg had no issues.

When I arrived at my destination - a large airport in Texas- the SWA gates all had long lines of people many of whom were sitting in chairs that had been pulled in from the nearest food courts because I guess they had been waiting so long. Trash all over the floor. Then I got outside the secured area and the SWA checkin desk line pretty much took up the entire area, down a long corridor and into another checkin area. Nuts.

I love Delta and rarely have issues with them. I grew up flying SWA (Texan) but as an adult I avoid like them plague. They are less than shadow of their former selves ever since the appeal of the Wright Amendment.

That's some BS- don't blame the frontline staff. It's a lack of adequate systems prep and functionality.

https://www.reddit.com/r/SouthwestAirlines/comments/zw32yt/psa_from_a_swa_employee_since_the_company_wont

"It’s staffing for crew scheduling employees. We have plenty of FAs/pilots ready to work flights but unable to add them to the flight as a working crew member because it requires a call to crew scheduling and being on hold for 4+ hours. Yes, we have staffing issues at some of our large hubs, specifically DEN/MDW/BWI BUT that isn’t the main cause this time."

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This isn't about the weather. I wonder if the SWA employees have decided to quiet quit this week.

I flew on Delta today - 2 legs - and while the crew was late for the second flight we were able to eventually get to our destination. First leg had no issues.

When I arrived at my destination - a large airport in Texas- the SWA gates all had long lines of people many of whom were sitting in chairs that had been pulled in from the nearest food courts because I guess they had been waiting so long. Trash all over the floor. Then I got outside the secured area and the SWA checkin desk line pretty much took up the entire area, down a long corridor and into another checkin area. Nuts.

I love Delta and rarely have issues with them. I grew up flying SWA (Texan) but as an adult I avoid like them plague. They are less than shadow of their former selves ever since the appeal of the Wright Amendment.

That's some BS- don't blame the frontline staff. It's a lack of adequate systems prep and functionality.

https://www.reddit.com/r/SouthwestAirlines/comments/zw32yt/psa_from_a_swa_employee_since_the_company_wont

"It’s staffing for crew scheduling employees. We have plenty of FAs/pilots ready to work flights but unable to add them to the flight as a working crew member because it requires a call to crew scheduling and being on hold for 4+ hours. Yes, we have staffing issues at some of our large hubs, specifically DEN/MDW/BWI BUT that isn’t the main cause this time."

Whoops sorry, someone else posted the same reddit link. Best explanation I have seen of the root cause.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:This isn't about the weather. I wonder if the SWA employees have decided to quiet quit this week.

I flew on Delta today - 2 legs - and while the crew was late for the second flight we were able to eventually get to our destination. First leg had no issues.

When I arrived at my destination - a large airport in Texas- the SWA gates all had long lines of people many of whom were sitting in chairs that had been pulled in from the nearest food courts because I guess they had been waiting so long. Trash all over the floor. Then I got outside the secured area and the SWA checkin desk line pretty much took up the entire area, down a long corridor and into another checkin area. Nuts.

I love Delta and rarely have issues with them. I grew up flying SWA (Texan) but as an adult I avoid like them plague. They are less than shadow of their former selves ever since the appeal of the Wright Amendment.

When flight attendants and pilots are spending 15 hours on hold with scheduling, trying to get their assignments or clock out for the day, that’s not quiet quitting, that’s an antiquated scheduling system that has broken down.

[Anonymous]

After 2016, I have lost all faith in American exceptionalism.

After the bungling of COVID and how companies, schools, airlines reacted, I expect things to not work.

My kids go to college 30 minutes away and we will certainly not fly on a major holiday and with bad weather approaching.

We were warm and cosy during the holiday. Facetimed our relatives and plan to meet in March 2023.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This isn't about the weather. I wonder if the SWA employees have decided to quiet quit this week.

I flew on Delta today - 2 legs - and while the crew was late for the second flight we were able to eventually get to our destination. First leg had no issues.

When I arrived at my destination - a large airport in Texas- the SWA gates all had long lines of people many of whom were sitting in chairs that had been pulled in from the nearest food courts because I guess they had been waiting so long. Trash all over the floor. Then I got outside the secured area and the SWA checkin desk line pretty much took up the entire area, down a long corridor and into another checkin area. Nuts.

I love Delta and rarely have issues with them. I grew up flying SWA (Texan) but as an adult I avoid like them plague. They are less than shadow of their former selves ever since the appeal of the Wright Amendment.

That's some BS- don't blame the frontline staff. It's a lack of adequate systems prep and functionality.

https://www.reddit.com/r/SouthwestAirlines/comments/zw32yt/psa_from_a_swa_employee_since_the_company_wont

"It’s staffing for crew scheduling employees. We have plenty of FAs/pilots ready to work flights but unable to add them to the flight as a working crew member because it requires a call to crew scheduling and being on hold for 4+ hours. Yes, we have staffing issues at some of our large hubs, specifically DEN/MDW/BWI BUT that isn’t the main cause this time."

I am not blaming staff. I don't blame them in the least! I was stating that wondering if they were protesting their shitty leadership.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It is TIME for Congress to either approve fast speed cross country rail or make air travel a public utility. It cannot be that in the “wealthiest” nation on earth one of the six private air carriers can go down like this leaving people stranded across the country until Thursday / Friday at the earliest.

It's about 2,300 miles from DC to LA as the crow flies. The fastest high-speed trains under consideration in the US go about 130mph, so assuming no stop, no mountains, and a direct path from DC to LA, will anyone sit on a train for 18 hours?

[Anonymous]

The more I read, the more grateful I am that we made it home the 24th with no issues on Southwest.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I have no idea how anyone could claim it’s “BS” that weather is the cause given the nationwide terrible weather we have had.

Probably because only one airline has completely crashed and burned like this and the weather affects all airlines.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:i'm sorry the day after Christmas, a major weather even just happened temps very low and you are surprised.

Go find something else important to talk about.

This is a nothing burger it stinks but honestly fly on this holiday you risk it.

Yeah, no. Search “Southwest Airlines” on Twitter. You can read for yourself what a clusterf#%¥ happening looks like. This is about Southwest and Southwest alone. No other airline is this messed up right now. They all had the same weather issues on the same holiday.

That is not true

Delta is just as bad.

United huge issues their hub is Chicago. They left people on planes in Denver. They put people on planes in Charlotte who sat on the tarmac today for hours.

Yes SW is a mess but it is disengenuous to say the others did well nope.

9% of Delta flights canceled today, 5% for United.

70% for SWA.

What are you smoking?

Oops. Don’t confound PP’s righteous indignation with actual facts.