Friends - Many of you are writing to us concerned about today's news reports regarding the safety and inspections of Southwest Airlines' aircraft.
Let me assure you, first and foremost, that no one is more passionate about the safety of our Customers and Employees than we are, and it is important for you all to know that the situation being reported in the media was never and is not now a safety of flight issue.
The FAA has issued what is called a "letter of penalty" to Southwest Airlines regarding one of many routine, redundant, and overlapping inspections of our fleet. The specific inspection in question involves an extremely small area in one of many overlapping inspections designed to detect early signs of skin cracking on our aircraft.
In March 2007, Southwest Airlines discovered a missed inspection area, disclosed the information to the FAA, and promptly reinspected all of our potentially affected aircraft.
The FAA approved our actions at that time and considered the matter closed as of April 2007.
The Boeing Company, which manufactures all of our aircraft, also supported our aggressive compliance plan, and has issued a statement confirming that we acted responsibly and, more importantly, that the safety of our fleet was not compromised.
The FAA has concerns about the inspection process, which we are willing and eager to work with them to resolve. Receipt of the FAA's letter of penalty gives us the opportunity to present both our case and the facts, which we feel will support our actions taken back in March 2007.
We assure you that this issue never compromised the safety of our fleet. Southwest has an excellent maintenance program, with more Boeing 737 aircraft experience than any carrier in the world. Safety is, has always been, and will always will be our number one priority.
Comments
Carla, southwest is not allowing ALL negative posts on the topic. The Dallas papers have more information that is not on southwest's website like statements from the whistleblowers, and last month BusinessWeek's expose about Mark Lund.
I have written them in this blog, and they aren't posted.
The real investigation that needs to happen is against the Minnesota Congressman James Oberstar which is who got all this negative publicity brought about in the media against Southwest Airlines.
Funny how when Northwest Airlines which is based out of Minnesota allowed ALL there aircraft mechanics to strike because the greedy management would not work with them on a fair contract, then they went and hired NON-skilled mechanics to maintain there aircraft, almost none of the maintenance problems they were having ever came out in the media, WHY IS THAT? Could it be because the Minnesota Congressman James Oberstar didn't think it was worth taking about since it was effecting the very AIrline that he has protected many other times before on other issues.
Southwest is be far the safest and best run airline in the WORLD, you don't earn a track record like they have by not doing things right.
The people that work for the media have one goal in mind and that is getting the highest RATINGS they can not nessacerally reporting the most accurate news.
I think many of us will be surprised when the full story comes out in the end, but then I dought it will ever make the news because it will show that Southwest was not at fault.
Southwest has the most modern feet in the industry, if you don't like Southwest go fly on a 25 year old DC-9 operated by American. This is just a coverup for a mistake made by the FAA. What is the real issue here, the FAA looked into this a year ago, now the agency is trying to satisfy a congressman who has political ties to Northwest Airlines.
This not about Southwest, it's about a federal agency that is trying cover their tracks. Southwest did nothing wrong here in my eyes, the FAA is nothing but a political tool for Congressman Oberstar.
I fly Southwest and will continue to fly Southwest, the FAA appears to be trying to cover up their mistake. Southwest reported their error, FAA said everything was okay. If the FAA was wrong why punish a the airline, I'm sure any other airline would do the same. This appears to be a political witch hunt on the part of a broken federal agency.
Hey, Chuck N....re. your comment about going to the media instead of a "highly moderated blog":
1. It seems that SWA is allowing all the negative comments to be posted here. In fact, there seem to be more of those type comments than supportive ones. Read 'em ALL, including the ones posted under "CEO on CNN."
2.Instead of the media, perhaps we should all check out the source documents...you REALLY trust the MEDIA?
3. To your point, and mine...go to SWAMedia, and click on the "Former NTSB Investigator" link. In my mind, that is the best summary of the situation by an actual EXPERT.
4.Speaking of the media, they are giving a politician (Oberstar) a chance to make hay in the limelight at the expense of SWA. 'Course SWA went through the ringer with a politician at the onset of their existence at the behest of other airlines. And it only took 30+ years to prove that Wright was wrong. Could history be repeating itself...SWA IS the only profitable airline. How embarrassing for the other carriers!
Feel free to check my other comment earlier in this thread, as well as my comment on the "CEO on CNN" post.
You are now free to move about the country. On a different airline.
Pathetic.
Oh, the drama!
Seriously, let's all calm down and stop allowing the news media to tell us what to think. All it takes is a red "Breaking News" headline flashing at the top of the screen to make us all stop in our tracks and wait breathlessly for the next scrap of information, even if it's half-true or poorly investigated.
SW's safety history is unparallelled. You're safer flying on a SWA plane than you are driving in your car to get to the airport. Do you really, truly believe that there's some great conspiracy to jeopardize the safety and wellbeing of SW's customers and employees?
Chill, people.
There is only ONE scary fact in all this: it is that I live in a society where too many people take the media reporting as fact, not to be questioned, analyzed, scrutinized, or doubted. We hear words like "unsafe" from a reporter and accept it as a verdict. And then we unfairly attach all sorts of unfounded reasons for the action - like Southwest was being greedy or this was their way of saving money or any other in a list of ridiculous assertions. To even suggest that the Maintenance Crew at SWA would knowingly put people in harm way to save a buck is shameful, but does shed light on how various events in history, like the Salem Witch Trials, could have occurred - we as humans are too stupid for our own good...and we don't even realize it.
Well here is a couple reminders, fellow countrymen: we have young, admirable men and women fighting a war on several fronts to protect freedoms and liberties like "innocent until proven guilty". Of course, lucky for the many ignorant and incompetent stone-throwers is that they also have freedom of speech and expression - even to express unproven ideas as fact.
And one more frustrated observation: somehow suddenly every person on this blog becomes a "Platinum member" - "I flew you hundreds of times a month...BUT NO MORE" goes the familiar saying. You know, not that I condone the brand of customer service that Spirit Airlines presents, but his CEO was correct when he implied that overly self-righteous customers need to get over themselves.
Plain and simple...SOMEONE at Southwest knows what is going on here and that SOMEONE should also know if true, cutting corners sooner or later catches up with you. Fix the planes that are broken and videotape mechanics doing it...inspect the other planes and videotape mechanics doing it...order some new planes and put out a commercial saying your fares are staying put.