Southwest CEO Jordan finds himself in eye of storm after airline's holiday debacle

Bob Jordan, Southwest's CEO, faces the biggest challenge yet in his 35-year career at the airline that has built a customer-friendly reputation. After a high-profile systems meltdown in late December that left thousands of US passengers stranded and fuming, Jordan must guide the airline's recovery from the snowstorm and related technology breakdowns that forced the cancellation of almost 17,000 flights and is estimated to have cost it more than $1b. Jordan, 62, took the helm as CEO just last February. He has apologized and taken responsibility for the troubles, but the company has sent mixed messages, saying its technology worked just fine and it was the weather's fault despite no other airline suffering such a breakdown in service. Southwest's struggles reached a notable low on Jan. 28 when comedy sketch TV show "Saturday Night Live" lampooned the Dallas-based airline's technology and service. The carrier will now answer to US Congress on Thursday when Chief Operating Officer Andrew Watterson testifies before the Senate Commerce Committee. The move has caused some industry-watchers to wonder why Jordan failed to accept the invitation despite his plans to attend an employee rally in nearby Baltimore on Wednesday. Southwest said the hearing conflicted with other commitments. "I don't think they're being consistent enough about what message they're putting out," said Evan Nierman, CEO of global crisis management firm Red Banyan. "The public is more concerned about the computer system, not the weather system." "It is hard to imagine he has anything more pressing on his schedule than being present in Washington to testify before the lawmakers," Nierman added about Jordan. How Jordan navigates these turbulent times could determine the success of his tenure. <br/>