Southwest Warns of Need for More Staff to End Disruptions
- CEO-designate Jordan apologizes for rash of cancellations
- Pilots deny any work slowdown tied to Covid-19 vaccine mandate
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Southwest Airlines Co.’s shortage of workers overlapped with storms and an air traffic control interruption to force cancellation of nearly 3,100 flights over four days, the carrier’s next chief executive officer said as he extended an apology to customers.
The Dallas-based carrier was particularly hard hit because as much as 50% of its daily lines of flight -- or where a plane travels from the start of the day to the end -- touch Florida, Executive Vice President Bob Jordan said in an interview. Bad weather and the traffic interruption in the area left Southwest with zero arrivals and departures in some cities for a time Friday, he said.