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Southwest Airlines allowed to fly 'unsafe' planes for months
CNN is reporting today on the findings of an ongoing investigation into the safety of Southwest Airlines planes flown as recently as last March. "Documents submitted by FAA inspectors to congressional investigators allege the airline flew at least 117 of its planes in violation of mandatory safety checks. In some cases, the documents say, the planes flew for 30 months past government inspection deadlines that should have grounded the planes until the inspections could be completed."
The report goes on to mention that several planes were "not air worthy," and the FAA "knew the planes were flying 'unsafely' and did nothing about it." Yikes.
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
paula.berg Mar 6th 2008 1:20PM
Justin - No one is more passionate about the safety of our Customers and Employees than we are, and it%u2019s important for our Customers to know that this situation was never and is not now a safety of flight issue.
Some media reports are suggesting that the FAA plans to fine Southwest, but to date, we have not received any notification or indication from the FAA that that is what they plan to do.
The inspections in question were one of many routine, redundant, and overlapping inspections of our fleet. And, as you and the WSJ point out, we discovered the missed inspection ourselves, informed the FAA, and promptly completed the missed inspections in March 2007. The FAA approved our actions and considered the matter closed as of April 2007.
Again, the safety of our Customers, Employees, and aircraft is always our number one concern. Southwest has an excellent maintenance program, and this experience has helped improve the overall safety of the fleet.
Paula Berg
Southwest Airlines
Justin Glow Mar 6th 2008 1:26PM
Thanks for the reply, Paula.
Jeffrey C. Jurew Mar 7th 2008 10:28AM
I worked for McDonnell Douglas as a structural engineer: skins, frames, and pressure boundaries. Nothing has changed in this industry...these aircraft are designed and built with the finest craftmanship that there is...doesn't it seem odd that there is scant news regarding third-world countries who have purchased the "old series" of aircraft built here regarding structural failures, or, any non-pilot error issues in the press? So what the f*** FAA...these ships are top drawer...back off. Guess you need a job, huh
paula.berg Mar 6th 2008 1:30PM
No problem. If more information becomes available, I will let you know. Feel free to contact me directly is you have any questions.
Paula Berg
Southwest Airlines
mike smith Mar 6th 2008 2:26PM
Paula, your statement fails utterly to make me feel warm and fuzzy. When you state that the safety checks not performed were "overlapping" and "redundant" you sound like a politician. If I ever fly again, it won't be on Southwest.
bob wong Mar 6th 2008 2:30PM
This is bad press for a very successful airline. Too bad they damages their good reputation. Southwest should ensure that all their planes are safe and well maintained.
airline pilot Mar 6th 2008 2:48PM
Everyone in the industry has known for years that the FAA has turned a blind eye to Southwest Airlines and allowed them huge leeway. To maintain their schedules, broken airplanes aren't written up and repaired until the last flight of the day. The old 20 minute turns that they bragged about weren't even legal to get minimum brake cooling times, etc. They have been lucky for a long time.
Southwest has been brilliant in marketing their airline and managing the expectations of their passengers. They don't expect much, don't get much and go away happy.
With both of their wrecks in the last few years, they've been incredibly lucky. Their way of doing business almost bit them but both times, inches separated them from catastrophy. Time will tell whether they will continue to be lucky
DAWN CATHERINE Mar 6th 2008 2:59PM
Well, as a frequent flyer of SouthWest airlines this does not make me feel too good about my safety flying with them. I would like to take Ms.Berg's word that SW is doing whatever it needs to make sure this doesn't ever happen again. I have always been a fan of Southwest as their routes cover the areas that I mostly travel too for business and pleasure.
I have to be honest as easy and convienent it is for me to fly on SW, I need to be confident that my safety comes first and would rather travel with another airline and know that I will arrive safely with no chances of problems.
I would think that SW needs to address this to all it's frequent flyers as well as the public, and thoroughly explain the policy they have in place to assure the traveling public that this situation will never happen again.
Dawn Catherine
dawncatherine@aol.com
marjolaine Mar 6th 2008 3:17PM
i think southwest should announce the condition of the plane before anyone boards...."we haven't allowed the brakes to cool, the seat back pockets may or may not have debris from previous flights,if you sit where there were children there before you the armrests could be sticky...or worse......but we were able to mostly fuel up and our attendants may or not be in a good mood.....but boarding is now beginning....remember- wait for the WHISTLE!!!!!"
marjolaine Mar 6th 2008 3:20PM
and this has to do with southwest airlines how????
Jim Herrera Mar 6th 2008 3:51PM
Is anyone so naive' to think "overruns" of inspection are specific to Southwest ?
Have a clue, educate yourselves on maintenance and safety issues. Remember, the pilot who flies the plane also has a family, and would like to come home at night, along with his Aunt in 6B. The FAA has found no fault, as it was self-reported, and entirely corrected.
Tragic, people trying to dig up dirt and make a story, where none exists. So what else is new ? Yawn.
Belinda Riggs Mar 6th 2008 4:00PM
Maintence should be your number one factor...Not only for the safety of your passengers but also for the mere fact that machinery that is maintained last longer. Southwest has sit in judgement of passenger dress code and size for many years. It is time that the public becomes aware that southwest is only interested in making and saving dollars.
sandra weisz Mar 6th 2008 4:07PM
the last plane trip i took happened to be on southwest to and from phoenix, to burbank, and it was awful. i hated it. i will never fly with them again. they were horrible and the phoenix airport was almost as bad as lax. i think i don't want to live here anymore. anybody want to buy a real american citizenship ? lost my country
Jeffrey C. Jurew Mar 7th 2008 4:29PM
Hey Sandra,
Please learn how to communicate in proper English such that you won't be taken for such a complete idiot. Your poor grammar skills notwithstanding, you still sound like you're someone who deserves to have either their mouth sowed shut, or their tongue cut out. Now go back to your meager job at the car wash such that you can save your nickles for some kind of education. Please spare us
Mike Mar 6th 2008 4:09PM
Still you got to admit they have a great saftey record. The only person who ever lost thier life on a SW flight was at the hands of fellow passengers that sat on him and suffocated him to death. ( Not a joke ).
john Mar 6th 2008 4:32PM
whatever you say about the inspections, the really troubling thing is that thier protocol FAILED to catch the problem. Oh yeah, they caught it 2years later and corrected it but how about if they miss something that won't last 2 years. I guess the people screaming amidst the twisted wrekage and ball of flame will be thier way of self reporting. You want the discount flights, this is what you get. Shame on the FAA, Southwest and all those who knew (and they knew).Demand the best and you'll get it. Bring back regulation.
Patten Mar 6th 2008 4:33PM
I think alot of Southwest Airlines.... They tend to actually care about their customers. I have flown Delta, US Air and United... and they could care less about their customers.... I just wish Southwest Airlines would fly out of Charleston, SC
Cheryl Mar 6th 2008 5:01PM
What do you expect with a cheap airline company. It's always cutting expenses somewhere... But this isn't the place to cut them and risk peoples lives even more. Shame on them. I rarely fly them... I really dislike "cattle call" airlines.
DAWN CATHERINE Mar 6th 2008 5:59PM
I already commented on this earlier regarding the safety issues...but I wanted to say that S.W. is not really a low cost, no frills carrier anymore. I just paid 350 dollars to fly round trip from Orlando to NY. Yes, you can get cheap flights if you watch the ding fares.
But I have flown many a time on one of the other "full service" airlines for that price and I say "full service" loosely. I actually get better service on SW than I do on Delta, AA, Continental etc. They also have no penalty to change your flight and the others charge outrageous fees to change flights. In the computer age it is ridiculous that they charge for that.
Sometimes, it takes an act of God to get a flight attendant on a major airline to give you more to drink with out them giving you major attitude for disturbing the F/A chat fest in the galley. Long gone are the days when the major airlines give more than LCC service these days, ( cattle call boarding...whether its a letter or a zone...they give you 5 roasted peanuts and about 4 ozs of a beverage of your choice....so its pretty much all the same in my opinion..) yet thier prices are way more expensive.
Pete Mar 6th 2008 6:14PM
I fly Southwest a lot 4 times a month. Who ever I fly I would take for granted that their planes are safe. The airline industry should be goverment controlled just like Canada. I think that way all airlines would have the same fairs. I have always wonder how cheaper airlines kept up with maintenance issues. I just wish when the FAA knows something about any airline that the ttravelers no sooner then a year later, that is the real sin with this topic. I now will drive whenever possible. I don't trust any of them.