Be on guard, says a Southwest Airlines pilot.
The meltdown that befell the airline last ear could happen again in this holiday season, the pilot Capt. Tom Nekouei said.
Bad weather affected so many flights last Christmas that Southwest software could not catch up and rebook passengers, resulting in many delays and canceled flights. Many passengers ended up rebooking on other airlines.
It was a disaster of epic proportions.
“We had a winter storm and the inability of the company to deal with severe weather events. I don’t know if we’re going to have another one. The ability of the company to deal with them, we don’t feel has been addressed and improved," the pilot said. "We proved a couple of weeks ago in Denver the company struggled to get airplanes de-iced and airborne. They wouldn’t release airplanes out of the gate to get de-iced. We just don’t have the resources for our employees to deal with that.”
Southwest insists otherwise.
"We have reinforced our airport infrastructure, increased available equipment, and bolstered overall winter preparedness at key airports with the potential for severe winter weather to help our employees function more effectively in severe weather," the company said on its website.
The carrier is spending $1.3 billion to fix its problems.
It should be mentioned, however, that the Southwest pilots union is in a contract stalemate with the airline.
Capt. Tom Nekouei, one of the airline’s most senior officers, said he doesn’t believe either that the airline is ready for another winter season. He is also a prominent union leader.
“Last year, with shutting the airline down for a week, we thought we’d get an overwhelming response with more manpower, equipment, and increased staffing. It just doesn’t seem to have happened. If we have major weather events this winter, the company is not really that capable of mitigating them,” he said.
Southwest COO Andrew Watterson said earlier this year: "When we had weather events, we managed to reset and be right back on track the next morning, which is a sign of good management through the regular operations by our people."
But it was pointed out that he spoke during the spring and summer rainy season, not the winter with snow and ice.
Southwest Airlines is one of two major carriers facing a looming strike possibility.
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