Southwest Airlines Executive Vice President Bob Jordan speaks as he’s interviewed by CNBC exterior the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) in New York City, U.S., December 9, 2021.
Brendan McDermid | Reuters
With the height Christmas journey season simply days away, Southwest Airlines‘ CEO vowed that the provider is not going to have a repeat of last yr’s meltdown that stranded hundreds of shoppers and value the airline greater than $1 billion.
“It will never happen once more,” Bob Jordan mentioned at an occasion Thursday on the Wings Club in New York.
Last yr, Southwest canceled near 17,000 flights over the essential Christmas and New Year’s vacation interval because it did not recuperate from extreme climate that gripped many of the nation. Rival carriers have been additionally affected however recovered extra shortly.
Southwest struggled with staffing points as storms left flight attendants and pilots out of place for his or her subsequent flights, hundreds of passenger luggage piled up, and planes have been behind on de-icing.
The provider has been stocking up in de-icing and different winter-weather tools to organize for the season all year long. It has additionally upgraded expertise.
“Winter is not going to be excellent,” Jordan mentioned. But he added that the airline is ready for the season, pointing to a fast restoration after heavy snowfall in October at its key airport in Denver.