The communications teams at Southwest Airlines are struggling to hide the cause of thousands of cancelled flights this weekend and are blaming Air Traffic Control and weather issues for the issues [Tweet Link]. However, customers are calling out Southwest for their nonsense, as everyone knows large numbers of Southwest pilots are not showing up to work in protest over the vaccine mandate.
People stranded in airports, and people working in airports, are responding on social media with the truth; but Southwest Airlines is not willing to admit the push back from the pilots is the real cause. The issue has become exhibit-A in the propaganda war currently raging.
Southwest issue as explained via NBC: “Southwest Airlines cancelled more than 1,000 flights, 27% of its schedule, on Sunday as disruptions that the airline blamed on air traffic control issues and bad weather affected the travel plans of thousands of customers.
“We experienced significant impact in the Florida airports [Friday] evening after an FAA-imposed air traffic management program was implemented due to weather and resulted in a large number of cancellations,” Alan Kasher, who oversees daily flight operations, told staff in a note on Saturday. The Federal Aviation Administration, which oversees air traffic, didn’t immediately comment. Southwest apologized to travelers for long customer service waits.” (link)
24 hours earlier, Bloomberg News highlighted the real issue: “Southwest Airlines Co. pilots asked a court to temporarily block the company from carrying out federally mandated coronavirus vaccinations until an existing lawsuit over alleged U.S. labor law violations is resolved.
The Southwest Airlines Pilots Association’s filing Friday also asked for an immediate hearing on the request before a federal court in Dallas, claiming the carrier has continued to take unilateral actions that violate terms of the Railway Labor Act, which governs airline-union relations. Those steps include the Covid-19 vaccination requirement. (link)
