After three years of negotiating, Southwest Airlines and the Southwest Airlines Pilot’s Association have come to a tentative agreement on a new contract. The next step is for the contract to be voted on by the pilots. If passed, the contract will run until September 1st of 2011.
Gary Kelly, the President, CEO and Chairman of Southwest Airlines, is happy that the two sides could come to an agreement during these difficult economic times.
Said Kelly: “I applaud the negotiation teams and the SWAPA Board for recognizing the importance of this new tentative agreement. Although this new proposal was negotiated during a …read more

Southwest Airlines already has the ignominious distinction of having paid the largest airline fine in history for intentionally flying jets without required inspections, and now Southwest may face punishment once again. The FAA has sounded the alarm that Southwest Airlines may have installed faulty parts on as many as 40 jets, delaying several of the airline’s flights last Saturday.
 
These parts were the shields that protect the jet flaps, the mechanisms that slow the jet down as it prepares for landing. According to an FAA spokesperson, the faulty parts do not actually present an immediate cause for concern, but that Southwest …read more

Since February, Southwest Airlines has been testing out the use of wi-fi during flights. So far, the airline says that the response from their customers has been very positive.
To help implement the wi-fi, Southwest Airlines has partnered with Row 44.
Said Dave Ridley of Southwest Airlines: “We have concluded our testing for inflight wi-fi and are very happy with both the technical performance of the system and the response of customers who have used it. We are pleased to be continuing with our plans to offer satellite-enabled broadband access through California-based Row 44.”
The wi-fi roll out will likely be complete in …read more

In a move that significantly outpaces Republic Airways Holdings’ bid of $108.8 million for Frontier Airlines, Southwest Airlines has decided it can spend $170 million to acquire Frontier and bring it out of bankruptcy. As far as whether or not Southwest can maintain its bidding lead, Republic has not lost hope in acquiring Frontier.
 
Republic’s spokesperson, Carlo Bertolini, stated that his company will be present at the next bankruptcy court auction, but did not suggest that Republic was dead set on bidding. Southwest, though, hopes to win control of its rival uncontested, allowing it to give service to several more cities …read more

While many other major airlines have raised prices recently to accommodate for a global recession and other difficult factors, Southwest Airlines kicks off today its most massive sale in its history. Customers can benefit from fares starting at about $30 to around $90 and all of these discounted fares will be offered for flights between September 9 and November 18.
Although the discounted flights will not travel on Friday or Sunday, the sale is, for the most part, a very drastic move when compared to the rest of Southwest’s competitors. However, several airlines have announced that they would match Southwest’s sale …read more

If you are traveling on Southwest Airlines after June 17th, we have some good news for your pets. You will be able to take your small dog or cat on board the plane. However, you will need to pay a $75 “pet fair” each way.
Said Gary Kelly, the CEO of Southwest Airlines: “We know from Customer and Employee feedback that our new ‘pet’ Customers will be a welcomed addition to any flight. Our enhanced boarding process has opened the window, allowing us to accommodate small pets comfortably on a Southwest flight – without impacting our efficiency.”
For the pets to be …read more

Southwest Airlines and WestJet were planning on implementing a code-share program. However, do to the recent global economic slowdown, WestJet announced that Southwest has delayed the program. Instead, Southwest will keep their concentration on surviving these economic times.
Said Bob Jordan of Southwest: “In response to the current economic environment, Southwest is focusing its immediate attention on several critical objectives, including increasing our revenues. While I am very excited about working to deliver new incremental revenue opportunities for 2009, it will have an impact on our timing for code-share delivery. We remain absolutely committed to our partnership with WestJet, and to …read more

Superstitious employees of Southwest Airlines must be wondering if the aviation industry is cursed: although the company has enjoyed a recent drop in the price of fuel, the drop has also been met with shrinking revenue that almost completely mitigates any benefit gained from the falling fuel prices.
That is not the only source of consternation for Southwest Airlines. The swine flu panic sweeping the world has cut travel demands as worried travelers stay home instead. The economic recession has also done few favors for Southwest Airlines as would-be vacationers instead plan cheaper outings that do not include air travel.
Although Southwest …read more

Virtually every airline in the United States is in financial trouble. Seemingly, if they aren’t asking for bailouts from the federal government, the airlines are on the brink of bankruptcy. The one airline company that has been the shining beacon of hope in recent years has been Southwest Airlines. However, that didn’t stop Southwest’s CEO from seeing an estimated 18% drop in pay in 2008.
Gary Kelly was paid approximately $1.5 million in 2008. About 40% of that money came in the form of stock options, while his actual salary and bonus combined for about $900,000.
In 2008, Southwest Airlines had arguably …read more

Following a year of negotiations, Southwest Airlines and the Transport Workers Union have tentatively agreed to a new three-year deal. This agreement will reportedly be valid through June of 2011.
To become official, the Transport Workers Union members will vote on the deal. In total, nearly 8,000 Southwest Airlines workers are represented by this new agreement. Those workers include freight agents and those in ramp operations.
Since its beginnings in 1971, Southwest Airlines has continually grown. Even during the turmoil that has forced many other airlines to go under, Southwest Airlines has remained strong. Today, the airline is considered by most experts …read more