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Southwest Pilot Accused of Indecent Exposure During Flight
Federal authorities have charged a former Southwest Airlines pilot with indecent exposure for an incident they say occurred during a flight last August. Michael Haak was the pilot in command of the plane during a flight from Philadelphia to Orlando, Florida, according to a one-page filing in federal district court in Maryland. According to the document, which was dated Friday,…
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Foundation Urges Kindness, Following Tragic Death of Mom Raised in Vermont
A foundation is turning the shocking death of a woman who grew up in New England into a call for kindness. “That was as tragic as it could be for our family,” Jan Riordan of Vermont said of the April 2018 loss of her sister-in-law, Jenn Riordan. During a Southwest Airlines flight that departed New York, a jet engine exploded,…
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‘Spark Kindness': Teddy Bear Supporting Jennifer Riordan Foundation
The Jennifer Riordan Foundation built a website where people can praise others for kind acts.
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Southwest Pulls Threat of Furloughs After Relief Bill Signed
Southwest Airlines is lifting the threat of furloughs or pay cuts for thousands of workers now that U.S. airlines will get up to $15 billion more in taxpayer aid contained in the coronavirus-relief bill.
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Southwest Starts Booking Middle Seats
Southwest Airlines will again be booking middle seats on flights. All passengers are still required to wear masks aboard the plane.
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Southwest Will Unblock Middle Seats Starting Dec. 1
Southwest Airlines hopes their planes will be a little more full starting December 1. That’s when the Dallas-based carrier will resume filling the middle seat. Southwest doesn’t assign seats but had been underselling the cabin in order to free up the middle seat to make travelers feel safer during the pandemic. The airline defended its decision in a statement,...
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CEO Says Southwest Needs Union Pay Cuts to Avoid Furloughs
Southwest Airlines says its workers must take pay cuts or face furloughs next year.
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Turbulent Times: Airline Workers Brace for Mass Layoffs
About 40,000 workers in the airline industry are facing layoffs on Thursday unless Congress comes up with another aid package.
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Southwest Will Test Thermal Cameras at Dallas Love Field
Southwest Airlines will soon test thermal cameras to spot travelers who are running a fever, a symptom of COVID-19.
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Nearly 17,000 Southwest Employees Sign Up for Buyouts, Voluntary Leave
More airline employees are signing up for buyouts, leaves of absence and early retirements as the threat of furloughs looms this summer.
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Southwest Says New Bookings Now Outpacing Cancellations, a Pandemic Turning Point
Southwest Airlines said Tuesday that new bookings are outpacing cancellations, a turning point in the pandemic that has devastated air travel demand. The Dallas-based carrier said its May operating revenue will likely be down no more than 90% year over year, compared with a previous estimate for a decline as much as 95% compared with May 2019. It added that it’s…
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Lone Passenger on U.S. Flight Gets VIP Treatment: ‘Welcome Aboard, Bob'
A man on a Southwest Airlines flight from Ft. Lauderdale to St. Louis on Thursday night didn’t need a seat in first class to receive VIP treatment. That’s because he was the only passenger on the plane, NBC News reports. Bob Pitts documented some of the flight in a series of videos. “We’re going on our little flight from...
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Coronavirus Travel: Airline Cancellation and Fee Waiver Policies
With the evolving nature of the outbreak, some airlines have increased their flight cancellations, and have even begun waiving fees for those who previously booked flights to high-risk countries.
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Couple With Newly Adopted Daughter Get Impromptu, In-Flight Baby Shower
Love was in the air when a couple flying from Colorado to Southern California with their newly adopted baby received a spontaneous mid-flight baby shower. There were no cards or gift-wrapped baby items for Dustin and Caren Moore during their flight from Denver to Long Beach Airport. Instead, the Orange County couple received handwritten notes on napkins from other passengers…
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Federal Report Faults Southwest Airlines and FAA on Safety
Southwest Airlines continues to fly airplanes with safety concerns while federal officials do a poor job overseeing the airline, a government watchdog said Tuesday. The airline has flown more than 150,000 flights on 88 jets it bought on the used-plane market and which had unconfirmed maintenance histories, the Transportation Department’s inspector general said in a report. That put more than…
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Draft Gov't Report Claims Southwest Failed to Prioritize Safety, WSJ Reports
Southwest Airlines said it was disappointed with a draft report of a government audit that claimed the Dallas-based carrier failed to prioritize safety by flying millions of passengers on planes with unresolved safety concerns, saying “our friends, our families board our aircraft and not a single one of us would put anything above their safety.”
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Flying High: Airline, Airport Workers Charged With Trafficking Cocaine at Puerto Rico Airport
A federal grand jury has charged 26 people — including airline employees, airport staff and restaurant workers — with running a $4 million drug smuggling and money laundering operation from Puerto Rico’s international airport. The alleged leader of the scheme has not yet been arrested and is believed to be holed up in the Dominican Republic with his pet tiger....
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Southwest Pilots' Union Sues Boeing Over Grounding of Plane
The union representing Southwest Airlines pilots is suing Boeing, saying its pilots are losing money because the company rushed an unsafe plane into service only to have the 737 Max grounded after two deadly crashes.
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American Joins United in Extending Boeing 737 Max Cancellations Until December
American Airlines is pulling the Boeing 737 Max from its schedules until early December, a month later than it previously expected, as the grounding of the troubled planes following two fatal crashes continues, sparking flight cancellations over Thanksgiving. The planes have been grounded since mid-March when regulators ordered airlines to stop flying passengers with them after two fatal crashes within...
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New Analysis Estimates Southwest, American Have Lost Millions of Seats Due to 737 Max Grounding
It’s been five months since Boeing’s 737 Max jets were grounded, and for Dallas-based Southwest Airlines and Fort Worth-based American Airlines, the negative financial impact continues to grow.