Southwest Airlines travel tips

Southwest Airlines experienced an epic meltdown last holiday season due to its outdated technology. Though it avoided any problems this year, there is still one issue it can’t avoid.

Southwest Airlines and its pilots’ union reached a preliminary labor agreement on Monday, ending three-and-a-half years of tense negotiations. 

Since the beginning of the 21st century, the United States has watched at least eight commercial airline brands disappear in a series of mergers in the industry.

Good morning from Skift. It’s Tuesday, December 19. Here’s what you need to know about the business of travel today.

The Department of Transportation has ordered Southwest to pay a $140 million fine for numerous consumer-protection violations that resulted from last year’s holiday travel meltdown. 

With nearly 40 million people slated to fly during the holidays this year, airlines are preparing for what could be one of the busiest holiday travel seasons on record. 

Flight attendants at Southwest Airlines overwhelmingly rejected a new contract over the weekend. The move is the latest in the mounting tensions between cabin crew and U.S. airline management that could result in the industry’s first labor action in more than a decade.

Southwest Airlines has launched a Points for a Purpose Holiday Promotion offering its Rapid Rewards Members a special incentive to increase their giving impact by donating to select nonprofits starting Dec. 1, 2023, and running through Dec. 14, 2023. 

The U.S. airline industry today is dominated by four big airlines: American Airlines, Delta Air Lines, Southwest Airlines, and United Airlines. Together, they fly 78% of all of the seats in the U.S. market.

Southwest Airlines and its pilots’ union were nearing a new labor deal ahead of the holiday season, a person familiar with the negotiations said on Friday.

Carrier updates sustainability strategy to focus on carbon, circularity, and collaboration

Southwest Airlines has just announced that it’s charting a bold new course towards environmental sustainability. Its newly unveiled strategy, called ‘Nonstop to Net Zero’, maps out the airline's trajectory toward its goal of achieving net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050, underscoring its commitment to a greener future for air travel. Embracing a more holistic approach toward sustainability efforts, the carrier is targeting carbon emissions, waste reduction and collaboration as strategic pillars that to guide its ongoing climate protection actions.

Southwest Airlines currently can’t fly to or from Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport – but that could change in the near future.

Southwest Airlines executives want investors to be clear about big thing: U.S. travel demand is “healthy.” Southwest leaders repeated the word several times during the third-quarter earnings call Thursday.

Vrbo has recently severed ties with “a large number” of its vacation rental hosts who have cancelled too many guest bookings without valid reasons.

On Tuesday, October 17 Airline Weekly Analyst Jay Shabat and Skift Editor-in-Chief Sarah Kopit went live on LinkedIn to have a conversation on the current state of the global airline industry.

Christmas is still more than two months away, but Southwest Airlines just told its loyalty club members about one of its gifts. The carrier today said it would make some enhancements to its Rapid Rewards program.

Three U.S. airlines on Wednesday warned of higher fuel costs in the third quarter due to a jump in crude prices, adding to pressures the industry faces from expensive labor contracts.

There are problems at two of the nation’s top five airlines. Labor problems.

More than 890 flights have been canceled and more than 1,200 are delayed as Hurricane Idalia made landfall on Florida’s northwest coast as a Category 3 hurricane early Wednesday morning.

Southwest Airlines recently made changes to its pre-flight boarding policies by limiting the options for passengers to purchase a better spot in line for an extra fee.