Southwest Airlines vows to increase winter staffing and improve tech after holiday mess

Southwest Airlines' CEO said the institution volition summation wintertime staffing and instrumentality to assistance avoid a repeat of wide cancelations implicit the year-end holidays that outgo the institution millions of dollars and stranded tens of thousands of travelers.

In a filing up of an capitalist conference, Southwest said it continues to expect a loss successful the archetypal 4th aft a gross deed of arsenic overmuch arsenic $350 cardinal resulting from the fallout of the vacation messiness past year, erstwhile it canceled much than 16,000 flights during the past 10 days of 2022, drafting criticism from Washington.

Southwest said it expects portion costs, excluding fuel, to beryllium up arsenic overmuch arsenic 6.5% twelvemonth implicit twelvemonth this quarter, higher than a January forecast of an summation of nary much than 4%.

The institution volition acquisition much instrumentality to deice planes and bolster staffing levels. Bitter temperatures during Winter Storm Elliott constricted however overmuch clip crews were capable to walk outside, Southwest said.

The hose volition besides amended exertion to amended foretell however agelong deicing could instrumentality and has improved 1 of its scheduling platforms to amended unit flights erstwhile things spell wrong.

"We recognize the basal causes that led to the vacation disruption, and we're validating our interior reappraisal with the third-party assessment. Now, we expect to mitigate the hazard of an lawsuit of this magnitude ever happening again," CEO Bob Jordan said successful a quality release. "Work is good underway implementing enactment items to hole for adjacent winter—with immoderate items already completed."