unaligned

Southwest says it’s sparing nothing in an operations review after a Christmastime meltdown stranded tens of thousands of passengers. But that’s not likely to include junking its network or losing its top executive. CEO Bob Jordan is pledging that no aspect will escape scrutiny, including the airline’s unique point-to-point route network that can limit the flexibility of its planes and crew deployment during disruptions. Jordan, who took the top job less than a year ago, told employees that he considers himself accountable for the meltdown and that Southwest may need to make adjustments to its network. “As we look backwards once we’re through this, everything is on the table,” Jordan told reporters on a Thursday conference call. He qualified those remarks by saying it’s his “gut feeling” the point-to-point system will remain in place with possible tweaks, and analysts say Jordan’s job is likely secure as he works to win back the good graces of investors and passengers. “It’s hard for me to see that any kind of heads need to roll,” said Savanthi Syth, a Raymond James Financial Inc. analyst. The airline’s outdated scheduling system is shouldering most of the blame for now, with Southwest saying it will make technology investments in that area a priority going forward. The computer software was overwhelmed when last week’s massive winter storm disrupted operations at many key airports.<br/>

After a nightmare week of cancellations that left Southwest Airlines scrambling to repair its reputation, the beleaguered airline appeared to finally return to its normal schedule on Friday. On Friday, just 43 of Southwest’s flights for the day were canceled, according to FlightAware, a flight-tracking service. A small number of cancellations each day is typical; barring any last-minute problems, dozens of cancellations would represent a steep improvement from Thursday, when more than 2,300 flights were canceled. The company said Thursday that it planned to return to its normal schedule on Friday “with minimal disruptions.” “We know even our deepest apologies — to our customers, to our employees, and to all affected through this disruption — only go so far,” the company said. The debacle started last week when a major winter storm scrambled plans across the United States, forcing many flights to be canceled during one of the year’s busiest weeks for travel. While other airlines were able to recover in a day or two, Southwest’s problems were only beginning. On Sunday — Christmas Day — 1,635 Southwest flights were canceled, or 46% of its schedule for the day. That number grew to 2,908 on Monday, and stayed above 2,300 per day through Thursday. Thousands of passengers were left with nightmare scenarios of being unable to contact customer service or book alternative flights. Passengers described sleeping on airport terminal floors, missing Christmas plans with family or renting cars to drive more than 10 hours home. The issues stemmed from Southwest’s route model, which differs from that of its competitors, making it harder to put staff in place to restart operations after a disruption. (Read more about what caused the meltdown.)<br/>

A union representing thousands of Southwest Airlines ground crew workers say that a number of their members were forced to complete shifts of up to 18 hours in freezing temperatures during last week’s winter storm. Transport Workers Union of America Local 555 president Randy Barnes said in a release on Wednesday that some of those members experienced frostbite during their abnormally long shifts. “In severe weather it’s unreasonable for workers to stay outside for extended periods,” Barnes wrote. “People need to be able to cycle in and out of the cold. The airline needs to do more to protect its ground crews.” The allegations that Southwest endangered its workers’ safety are among the many issues facing the embattled airline, which has cancelled thousands of flights and left customers stranded in airports across the country since a major winter storm complicated air travel starting in the days before Christmas. The storm shut down flights on a number of different airlines, but no airline has been impacted as significantly or for as many days as Southwest. The airline on Wednesday cancelled some 2,500 flights, whlie the airline with the second-highest number of cancellations, SkyWest, cancelled just 77.<br/>

Ryanair Holdings is scrubbing some flights to and from Belgium over the New Year’s weekend because of a strike by cabin crew. The airline was forced to cancel “a small number” of its 2,500 flights into and out of the country on Friday, Saturday and Sunday, Europe’s largest discount carrier said. Brussels South Charleroi airport told customers that not all flights will be called off so it was important to check the status before arrival. “The airport regrets this strike action, which is completely unrelated to the airport,” it said in a website notice. The airport’s CEO, Philippe Verdonck, told AFP that 48 Ryanair flights had been canceled on Friday, with the action set to halt 30% of the airline’s flights through its Belgium hub. Overall, some 22,000 passengers were expected to be affected over the three days, he said.<br/>

Israeli flag-carrier El Al’s CFO, Yitzhak Eliav, is to step down from his position by the end of the first quarter of 2023. Eliav was named as the head of the airline’s finances in January last year. He formerly held senior executive positions at fabric specialist Avgol Industries and apparel retailer Fox-Wizel. El Al states that Eliav has resigned from his post and that his term will end on 31 March. It has not identified a successor. Over his two-year period in the role, Eliav has participated in the restructuring of the airline’s finances after its business was badly affected by the pandemic. El Al has been restoring its operation and has lately sought to expand its fleet in order to have sufficient capacity to cope with demand. It has newly opted to sign a firm agreement with Boeing for the purchase of a further 787 twinjet, which will take its fleet of the type to 17.<br/>

Nigerian investigators have determined that a Middle East Airlines Airbus A330-200 crew vainly attempted to skirt round an incorrectly-parked Boeing 777-300ER, instead of stopping and requesting guidance, before the two aircraft collided. The Turkish Airlines 777 had not been moved to the correct gate position at Lagos, and was left obstructing the taxiway, when the A330 crew tried to pass. After deviating from the taxi line and continuing to travel, the A330’s left-hand winglet cut into the auxiliary power unit exhaust of the 777. Nigeria’s Accident Investigation Bureau says the 777 (TC-LJC) had arrived as a freight flight on 29 July 2020 – a few months into the pandemic – and been directed to the cargo ramp. But there was no available parking position on the ramp and the twinjet was instead reassigned to the international apron, parking at gate E55. Procedures for handling passenger aircraft at the airport differ from those for cargo flights, the bureau says, but the ground-handler, at the time, did not have any approved procedures for handling cargo aircraft at the international apron. Normally a marshaller would guide a passenger aircraft, under its own power, to the parking stand and stop it before the designated marker point for the type, whereupon ground-handling personnel take over and tow it to the marker. “In this case, this was not done,” says the bureau. Examination of the incident scene showed the 777 was still 13.5m short of its designated marker, and obstructing taxiway F3, when it parked. <br/>