I have investigated the Southwest Airline debacle and the story is not good. Unfortunate for I always looked at that company as being the model. I had friends that were pilots and retired during the china virus impact on the world.

It appears that some bean counters and lawyers took the company down a few years ago and left the current management in a real dilemma. Any Ags have information on their status and turnaround plans?

Investigations.

Just a bizarre post that's all.

Please provide some context to your theory. I've known people in pilot and flight attendant unions that absolutely hate management no matter how much they are compensated, and will make up anything to justify their greedy outlook on "management".

Here's a live shot of Houstonag on the case!

Sounds like you don't know much.

They will be merged with Blue Star Airlines if Bud Fox can get the flight attendants and baggage crew to agree on his three point plan.

Keep up the good work, OP. Excellent sleuthing.

There are dozens of Facebook posts floating around with more information than OPs investigation.

All of them are variations of the same thing. The combination of their point-to-point system that is so vulnerable to regional outages (like last year when folks thought it was a pilot vaccine walkout because Orlando had an issue) combined with their absolutely incompetent process for assigning and notifying crews led to this **** up.

That comes from a pilot friend I was drinking next to last Tuesday. He wasn't drinking because he was supposed to be ready to fly but Southwest never even called him in over that period.

Four Seasons Landscaping said:

---

There are dozens of Facebook posts floating around with more information than OPs investigation.

All of them are variations of the same thing. The combination of their point-to-point system that is so vulnerable to regional outages (like last year when folks thought it was a pilot vaccine walkout because Orlando had an issue) combined with their absolutely incompetent process for assigning and notifying crews led to this **** up.

That comes from a pilot friend I was drinking next to last Tuesday. He wasn't drinking because he was supposed to be ready to fly but Southwest never even called him in over that period.

---

I think their system issues are well known. I'm more curious about his rumors regarding lawyers and such.

Maybe we should message Bob and ask him? He is a pretty nice guy and an Ag.

Houstonag said:

---

I have investigated the Southwest Airline debacle and the story is not good. Unfortunate for I always looked at that company as being the model. I had friends that were pilots and retired during the china virus impact on the world.

It appears that some bean counters and lawyers took the company down a few years ago and left the current management in a real dilemma. Any Ags have information on their status and turnaround plans?

---

This is new information. Hadn't heard about this.

What happened to Southwest?

SWA was a great airlines but this debacle must have escaped some of you and too bad about your insulting comments. My post was to inquire if others have additional information that led to the problems this past week. My information came from retired employees including pilots. Some people own stock in LUV.
A brief piece from my "investigation"

Quote:

---

Quote:

---

A half dozen small scale meltdowns occurred during the mid to late 2010's. With each mini meltdown Leadership continued to ignore the pleas and warnings of the employees in the trenches. We were still operating with 1990's technology. We didn't have the tools we needed on the line to operate the sophisticated and large airline we had become. We could see that the wheels were about ready to fall off the bus. But no one in leadership would heed our pleas.

---

---

Houstonag said:

---

SWA was a great airlines but this debacle must have escaped some of you and too bad about your insulting comments. My post was to inquire if others have additional information that led to the problems this past week. My information came from retired employees including pilots.

---

There is a long thread on F16 and a long thread on the Travel forum that covers this in depth. We've been discussing it for a week and have covered all angles including many opinions and testimonies from folks on the inside.

If OP has investigated it thoroughly with inside contacts and information why is he coming to a message board for Intel?

Very well, I guess you have nothing to add as an answer to my inquiry. Thank you.

Detective, I'm glad you broke the case. But even Southwest admits their systems need to be upgraded.

Sorry to be a smartass, but this has been discussed like crazy the last week.

Mr. Bird.

Sorry but I read the travel post but did not see any definitive cause of the problem. My sources were actual employees who retired from SWA two years ago. Read my post. I asked for any other additional information Ags may have. I guess there is none.

No worries. There are a lot of Ags that work for SWA, or cannot stand the company, or have agendas, so it's hard to decipher between all of that. I do think the Company will find a way to get this right. Probably their worst week since 911 and the pandemic, so I look at it as a buying opportunity!

Houstonag said:

---

Mr. Bird.

Sorry but I read the travel post but did not see any definitive cause of the problem. My sources were actual employees who retired from SWA two years ago. Read my post. I asked for any other additional information Ags may have. I guess there is none.

---

Bottom line is that lack of investment in operational tools while they've continually grown the network finally bit them in the ass when things went sideways.

Again, the original post. The unprofessional and insulting comments on TexAgs is disappointing especially when coming from AGs.

Any Ags have information on their status and turnaround plans?

Houstonag said:

---

Again, the original post. The unprofessional and insulting comments on TexAgs is disappointing especially when coming from AGs.

Any Ags have information on their status and turnaround plans?

---

They are back up and fully operational right now.

Turnaround plans: they have to replace at least one IT system that is part of their core operational network. That will take several months to replace considering the integrations it probably has to other systems. And once you touch that one it probably means you have to pop the hood on others to some degree.

Bird Poo said:

---

No worries. There are a lot of Ags that work for SWA, or cannot stand the company, or have agendas, so it's hard to decipher between all of that. I do think the Company will find a way to get this right. Probably their worst week since 911 and the pandemic, so I look at it as a buying opportunity!

---

SWA has the best balance sheet of US airlines by far. They can pivot and invest in their operation then get back to normal without the meltdowns

OP...
I've heard elsewhere that SW has a very rigorous social media policy and the consequences of violation that policy rises to termination very quickly.

Folks with even a sniff under the hood at the airline would be dealing with what the SEC would consider insider information, and public disclosure of that would likely not only cost them their job but could also land them in legal troubles.

In none of the threads that have moved up and down the various boards on this site have I seen anyone with current ties to the airline posting.

Tech debt and limping along on archaic systems is a pretty common thing is large companies whose history goes back more than 5 years.

Perhaps this is an egregious example where corporate negligence or recklessness were present. But no manager of business systems gets all of the dev resources they feel they need, so take those voices with a grain of salt.

At the fiduciary level - systems are potentially bottomless expenses who's purpose is to facilitate the business. They'll err toward "good enough" more quickly than those who are in charge of patching and maintaining what's broken.

Buford T. Justice said:

---

They will be merged with Blue Star Airlines if Bud Fox can get the flight attendants and baggage crew to agree on his three point plan.

---

Blue Horeshoe loves Anacott Steel

There are a lot of aggies there. I bet there have been a lot of people with current ties posting, they probably know better than to say it outright.

Fun fact about SWA's technology situation: they cannot accept foreign currency. They cut service to Mexico City because it wasn't enough of an American tourist destination to sustain ticket sales solely in dollars. Rather than spend the money to accept foreign currency, they decided to just not fly anywhere that can't be profitable with American passengers.

My gut feeling is it was a cyberattack.

And the corporation is taking the blame and financial consequences because… reasons?

Houstonag said:

---

I have investigated the Southwest Airline debacle and the story is not good. Unfortunate for I always looked at that company as being the model. I had friends that were pilots and retired during the china virus impact on the world.

It appears that some bean counters and lawyers took the company down a few years ago and left the current management in a real dilemma. Any Ags have information on their status and turnaround plans?

---

You mentioned definitive later in the thread. What, definitively, did the "bean counters and lawyers do that took down the company a few years ago?"

Wouldn't matter either way.

Biggest travel day of the year and all of a sudden the computer system takes a ****.

They gloss over this issue.

Wouldn't matter how? If it was a cyber attack, they could point the finger then announce a new contract with a cyber security company. It wasn't a cyber attack.