Tag Archives for southwest airlines.
Humanoid robots are now getting their own airline seats, and the rules are not ready. Southwest crews delayed one flight over a passenger’s 75-pound robot. On another crew had to figure out whether it was a passenger, baggage, or a lithium-battery problem. Robots are starting to enter ordinary travel faster than airline rules can keep up.
Passengers sued Boeing and Southwest over the 737 MAX because they feared flying it. Southwest pilots sued Boeing for the opposite reason: they say Boeing’s misrepresentations put the MAX into their contract, then the 20-month grounding cost them millions in flying time and pay.
A flight attendant has her job back, and nearly $1 million, after Southwest Airlines and her union worked together to fire her over her union and religious politics.
A Florida hotel is suing Southwest Airlines after a flight attendant on layover allegedly tampered with a sprinkler in her room, setting off flooding that spread through guest rooms and common areas. What makes it interesting is suing the employer, which has the deeper pockets but a more tenuous case for liability.
Shortly after takeoff from Las Vegas, a Southwest captain was struck in the head by the cockpit heads-up display hard enough to leave him seeing stars and vomiting, forcing the flight to turn back.
Air traffic control in Nashville turned a Southwest jet that was going around after an aborted landing directly into the departure path of another Southwest flight, triggering collision warnings in both cockpits. The two aircraft came within about 500 feet vertically before the crews and onboard systems avoided a far more serious outcome.
Southwest now charges for seat assignments, but at least some customers who paid extra for a window seat are finding themselves staring at a wall instead. United and Delta are being sued for market and selling these as well.
Southwest Airlines just won a remarkably strange 737 MAX lawsuit brought by passengers who claimed the airline had sold them less than it promised by operating an allegedly unsafe aircraft. One initial roblem for the plaintiffs was that none of them had actually flown on a Southwest 737 MAX.
Southwest Airlines is no longer just testing the idea of lounges. The airline now appears to have at least five lounges in its pipeline, with Honolulu, Nashville, Denver, Dallas Love Field, and Austin all part of a move into premium airport space.
Southwest Airlines has put a former United executive in charge of Rapid Rewards at a moment when the loyalty program is under pressure and redemptions have been falling. Her background suggests Southwest may push harder on personalization, partner revenue, and a more modern loyalty model—with changes that could go well beyond points for flights.
Gary Leff is one of the foremost experts in the field of miles, points, and frequent business travel -- a topic he has covered since 2002.
Co-founder of frequent flyer community InsideFlyer.com, emcee of the Freddie Awards, and named one of the "World's Top Travel Experts" by Conde' Nast Traveler (2010-Present) Gary has been a guest on most major news media, profiled in several top print publications, and published broadly on the topic of consumer loyalty. More About Gary »
