Southwest Airlines Vows It's Back to Normal After Hellish Week

Last week, Morocco suffered its deadliest earthquake in over 60 years, and the strongest to hit the nation’s center in more than a century. More than 2,600 people are known to have been killed and 2,500 more were injured by the unforeseen natural disaster, according to CNN. The death toll is expected to rise as rescuers continue searching through the rubble for survivors and trying to reach remote communities.

One of the best perks of flying Southwest Airlines is the ability to earn a Companion Pass®. The Companion Pass allows flyers to bring a designated friend or family member with them on flights for free. All they need to pay are the taxes, fees and other government or airport-imposed charges of at least $5.60 per one-way. There are specific ways to get the Pass, and Southwest has just introduced a few more available for a limited time.

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

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.

A Southwest Airlines flight attendant broke into a rap when giving an announcement on board the plane, and people are living for it. 

Two months. That’s how long Southwest Airlines expects there to be an impact on bookings from its massive holiday meltdown that disrupted millions of travelers over Christmas and New Years.

Southwest Airlines has put an initial number to the losses incurred during its holiday meltdown: a $725-825 million hit to its pre-tax income in the fourth quarter. That number includes both $400-425 million in lost revenue and added costs, for example reimbursing people for alternative travel costs.

The U.S. Transportation Department (USDOT) said late on Monday it would examine the large number of Southwest Airlines cancelled and delayed flights in recent days to determine if they were in the airline’s control, calling them “unacceptable.”

Southwest Airlines will pay a dividend to its shareholders of record as of January 10, 2023. This may not seem like a notable move for a carrier that has paid dividends for most of 50-plus year existence but it is: Southwest will be the first U.S. airline to resume shareholder returns since the pandemic.

Good morning from Skift. It’s Tuesday, January 3, and here’s what you need to know about the business of travel today.

Southwest Airlines capped off its 2022 with the unenviable distinction of cancelling more than 15,000 flights in total during the week of Christmas, the result of a system failure caused by several issues that were exacerbated by a nationwide winter storm.

U.S. Senate Commerce Committee chair Maria Cantwell on Wednesday said the panel intended to hold hearings after Southwest Airlines’ recent meltdown that led to nearly 16,000 flight cancellations in the week ending Dec. 29.