Southwest, other US airlines face holiday travel test after 2022 blizzard

CHICAGO, Nov 20 (Reuters) – Andrew Watterson knows the cost of flight disruptions.

The chief operating officer of Southwest Airlines (LUV.N) found itself in the eye of a storm after a storm last December forced the company to cancel nearly 17,000 flights, disrupting travel plans for approximately 2 million customers.

With this week’s US Thanksgiving holiday kicking off the holiday travel season, Watterson can’t afford another fiasco. Their counterparts in other carriers are also under pressure to provide smooth operations in a period when passenger traffic is expected to reach all-time highs.

Airlines have taken steps to strengthen winter operations, including investments in weather forecasting technology and de-icing equipment, and increased staffing and training.

tea high profile operational merger cost Southwest more than $1 billion and prompted scrutiny from the US Congress and other government agencies. Watterson himself faced by criticizing the American legislators unfortunately

However, in an interview with Reuters, the executive cited Southwest’s technology upgrades and investments made by merging the Dallas-based carrier to help it deal with any weather event this year.

“We are now much better prepared,” he said.

The expected travel record comes at a time when airlines are faced with a shortage of air traffic controllers, congested airspace and limitations on runways and airport gates, forcing many companies to cut flights.

Southwest attributed its disruption of service last Christmas to a “historic” winter storm, both in size and scale, that caused icy jet decks and frozen aircraft engines. Their problems, however, were compounded by an outdated system for equipment planning.

To make its winter operations more resilient, Watterson said Southwest has invested in de-icing trucks and de-icing pads across its network. He also spent the summer training his cold-weather ramp agents, and increased staffing at airports in colder climates.

The airline has focused mostly on operations in Denver and Chicago, where a quarter of its crews are based. Both cities were hit hard by the storm last year.

To streamline communication and decision-making, he consolidated the teams that design flight plans and oversee operations. Southwest also implemented new technology to manage large-scale flight disruptions.

Southwest is facing a civil fine from the US Department of Transportation for the past year. Watterson acknowledged that the company was short, but all subsequent improvements in operational performance.

He said the percentage of Southwest’s scheduled flights that are not canceled is at a 10-year high. And the company handled a snowstorm in Denver last month with few problems.

“For me, it was our preseason game,” Watterson said.

Last year’s merger led to a dip in Southwest ticket sales in early 2023, but customers have forgiven the company as bookings for this December are stronger than last year.

MINIMIZE CANCELLATIONS

Holiday disruptions have also prompted reviews of other airlines.

Alaska Airlines (ALK.N)for example, it is trying to get better equipped in the management of the climate in its key center of Seattle.

Chief Operating Officer Constance von Muehlen said in an interview that the company partnered with meteorologists at the University of Washington to achieve localized weather forecasting for improved predictability. It has doubled the space available for the ice shelves.

Alaska also limited the number of departures per hour out of Seattle to minimize cancellations.

Similarly, United Airlines (UAL.O) has cut flights from Newark, New Jersey, to minimize delays. American Airlines (AAL.O) relies on technology to recover more quickly from large-scale disruptions, COO David Seymour said in an interview.

Delta (DAL.N) said that its operational performance was strong in the holiday season and it is better placed in terms of equipment availability.

The performance of carriers this year has been encouraging, with flight cancellations down to just 1.4%, according to data from the FlightAware website.

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) earlier this month told the US Congress that airlines are better equipped and prepared for this year’s holiday rush.

But the weather is always unpredictable.

“We never know when the weather will hit us,” von Muehlen said. “But obviously it’s more impactful when it’s during the holidays.”

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