Southwest exec grilled on Christmas debacle, as pilots union says airline 'failed to listen'
Pilot union president Cpt. Casey Murray said employees had been 'sounding the alarm' on Southwest's outdated operations for decades
Southwest Airlines Pilot Association President Captain Casey Murray on Thursday testified to the Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee and pointed to leadership failures that led to an operational meltdown in December 2022.
The president of the Southwest Airlines pilots union told Congress on Thursday that employees' concerns and warnings were ignored by the company leading up to the operational meltdown that caused widespread flight cancelations and displaced millions of passengers over the holidays.
Captain Casey Murray, president of the Southwest Airlines Pilots Association (SWAPA) testified to the Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee in a hearing that featured Southwest Airlines COO Andrew Watterson, who was grilled by lawmakers over Southwest Airlines' multiple technological and operational failures. Murray said that frontline employees had been sounding the alarm on Southwest's outdated IT and crew scheduling processes, but management "failed to listen."
"Those who do not learn from history are doomed to repeat it. Southwest has a history of repetition. Unfortunately, despite many opportunities, Southwest Airlines management did not listen to its pilots and frontline employees who saw this meltdown coming," Murray said.
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President of the Southwest Airlines Pilots Association Casey Murray testifies during a hearing before Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee at Russell Senate Office Building on Capitol Hill, Feb. 9, 2023, in Washington, D.C. (Alex Wong/Getty Images / Getty Images)
A deadly winter storm in December 2022 caused flight cancelations and delays across the airline industry, but while other major domestic carriers recovered soon after the storm passed, Southwest remained crippled for more than a week. Nearly 17,000 flights were canceled, and the company took an $800 million financial hit that resulted in a fourth quarter 2022 net loss of $220 million. Eight days passed before the airline was able to return to normal operations.
| Ticker | Security | Last | Change | Change % |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| LUV | SOUTHWEST AIRLINES CO. | 32.33 | -0.27 | -0.83% |
Murray identified three causes of the meltdown in his testimony, accusing Southwest leadership of failing to prepare for the winter storm, failing to modernize crew management processes and related IT systems, and failing to listen to employees.
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(L-R) President of the Southwest Airlines Pilots Association Casey Murray, Chief Operation Officer at Southwest Airlines Andrew Watterson, and Senior Vice President for Legislative and Regulatory Policy at Airlines for America Sharon Pinkerton testif … (Alex Wong/Getty Images)
Asked by ranking member Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, to elaborate, Murray said pilots had sounded the alarm bells "for over a decade."
"We love our airline. And they have to be better," he told lawmakers.
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Chief Operation Officer at Southwest Airlines Andrew Watterson apologized for Southwest Airlines' operational meltdown and told lawmakers about the steps the company is taking to prevent future failures. (Alex Wong/Getty Images / Getty Images)
Senators pressed COO Andrew Watterson for specifics on how Southwest Airlines is investing in technology and systems upgrades to prevent another disastrous meltdown in the future.
Watterson indicated the company will spend "millions and millions of dollars" to better prepare for severe winter weather events.
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"We need more infrastructure at airports for deicing. We need more deicing trucks. We need new technology systems with the icing. We need to weatherize our ground support equipment," he said. "So there's lots of work and lots of expenditures we expect to prevent this from happening again, and that will be the bulk of the effort."