American was able to achieve this strong performance despite weather in many parts of the country and a significant volume of non-scheduled, non-air carrier operations that resulted in increased air traffic control delays.
18.12.2023 - 17:33 / thepointsguy.com / Andrew Watterson / Bob Jordan
With holiday travel coming up, travelers may be thinking back to last year, when a spate of severe winter storms grounded flights across the country just around Christmas, and an operational meltdown at Southwest Airlines dragged on for nearly a week after.
Given last year's mess, many are likely wondering whether their travel plans could go off the rails again this year, whether because of a fresh round of storms or any of the other issues plaguing air travel, such as the ongoing air traffic controller shortage.
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Fortunately, things seem to be in a better place this year. Even so, airlines are always vulnerable to bad weather, and the right storm at the right time can still cause severe disruption of holiday travel. A key is whether or not airlines are able to recover from disruptions quickly.
During Southwest's 2022 holiday meltdown, one of the biggest issues came in the days following the initial storm: The department that manages pilots' and flight attendants' schedules became overwhelmed. Pilots and flight attendants — left stranded out of position due to delayed and canceled flights — could not reach crew scheduling for hours to be reassigned to a different flight.
In the year since, the airline invested in new tools for crew scheduling, chief operating officer Andrew Watterson previously told TPG.
The airline has upgraded old software and added new programs that help the schedulers manage more displaced crew members at a time without being inundated. It makes it easier to reassign crew members to new flights automatically and offer different options when something goes wrong — for instance, instead of rescheduling a flight attendant on a new flight from their current location, working to get that crew member to somewhere that has a greater need for available flight crews.
The updates together solve last year's issues of the crew scheduling system not being "able to technically handle these large-scale problems," CEO Bob Jordan previously told TPG.
Meanwhile, the airline has addressed other issues that contributed to the 2022 mess.
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Despite the storm being forecast several days ahead of time, the airline could not muster enough de-icing staff and equipment to keep planes moving, particularly in its focus city of Denver. Noting the wintry conditions during the holidays, some employees called out sick, marginally contributing to an already significant staffing challenge.
Over the past year, Southwest says it has hired and trained more employees who can handle de-icing duties during bad weather and significantly expanded its related
American was able to achieve this strong performance despite weather in many parts of the country and a significant volume of non-scheduled, non-air carrier operations that resulted in increased air traffic control delays.
In a tragic accident on Tuesday, a Japan Airlines plane and Japanese coast guard aircraft collided on the runway at Tokyo’s Haneda Airport. The crash killed five coast guard crew members who were on their way to deliver aid to victims of a deadly earthquake that hit Western Japan on Monday.
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When you travel, there are a few pieces of information you probably like to keep handy, including your frequent flyer number, your passport number and your trip confirmation number.
A 6-year-old boy travelling to visit his grandma for Christmas was put on wrong flight and ended up 260 km away.
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.
With its pulsing, modern cities, beautiful rural landscapes and world-renowned cuisine, Japan is one of the top stops for travelers seeking a fully immersive Asian experience. And there's good news: travelers dreaming of a long-awaited trip to Japan need wait no longer – after establishing some of the world’s strictest border control policies during COVID-19, Japan has opened visa-free travel for visitors from most countries.
Southeast Mexico is brimming with archeological sites, biodiversity, and Pueblos Mágicos known for their rich cultural heritage. Many visitors barely make a dent in the region’s offerings, though, by flying to Cancún and heading straight for the beach, perhaps booking an excursion or two to Chichen Itza or Tulum, but generally not venturing further.
This is a developing story and will be updated with more information.
After weeks of anticipation, a volcanic eruption in Iceland’s most populated area sent lava spewing into the night sky late Monday and pushed the authorities into action mode Tuesday. The eruption, which was larger than volcanologists had predicted, happened not far from an evacuated town and a power plant.
Good morning from Skift. It’s Tuesday, December 19. Here’s what you need to know about the business of travel today.
Southwest Airlines canceled 16,900 flights and stranded more than 2 million fliers between December 2022 and early January 2023, as operations took a nosedive amid severe winter storms that disrupted holiday air travel across much of the United States last year. But while other major U.S. carriers recovered from the weather-fueled delays and cancellations, Southwest struggled to normalize operations and continued to cancel flights in the days following Christmas 2022. Now, the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) is making it very clear that that level of failed service comes with serious consequences.