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Southwest cuts flying capacity, pauses hiring
The airline has stopped hiring pilots and flight attendants, and Southwest expects to end the year with a lower headcount compared to 2023.
DALLAS - Southwest Airlines says it's being forced to change some of its plans for 2024 because of ongoing problems with Boeing.
The Dallas-based carrier says it will cut flying capacity for the rest of the year and has stopped hiring.
In a regulatory filing Tuesday, the Dallas-based carrier said it will have to make adjustments to its 2024 plan because of the slowing growth.
The airline has stopped hiring pilots and flight attendants, and Southwest expects to end the year with a lower headcount compared to 2023.
Ron McCallum is a pilot and aviation attorney who has been watching this story unfold.
"This could last for several years financially for Southwest. It's another hit. It's another negative outcome that the public's going to see," he said.
A Southwest Airlines jet lands at Midway International Airport on January 28, 2021 in Chicago, Illinois. (Photo by Scott Olson/Getty Images)
Southwest is making adjustments to its flight schedules in the second half of the year and will reduce capacity by at least 1% in 2024 compared to 2023 due to aircraft delivery delays.
The company expects to get fewer plane deliveries from Boeing in the months to come than previously anticipated.
"It comes down to a manufacturing problem, which is outside of Southwest control," McCallum said.
A new report says a federal audit of Boeing jets found several manufacturing issues.
Boeing 737 Max 9 flights cleared for takeoff after grounding due to panel blowing off
Boeing 737 Max 9 jets were cleared for takeoff again Friday, less than three weeks after a door plug suddenly blew off an Alaska Airlines flight in mid-air.
The New York Times says Boeing's troubled 737 Max jets failed 33 out of 89 tests from the FAA.
The report also says regulators found several issues with Spirit AeroSystems, which is the supplier Boeing uses to make the body of the 737s.
The increased federal scrutiny came after a door plug blew off an Alaska Airlines Boeing jet in midflight back in January.
Southwest expects 46 deliveries this year of other Max models, down from 79.
"Southwest has long been tied to the 737," McCallum said. "For many, many years, it serves Southwest well. And now we have a different issue that's come up, and that may affect them throughout the year."
The Dallas-based carrier expects a net loss this quarter.
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Report blames Boeing for Alaska Airlines door blowout
An apparent whistleblower report calls plane maker Boeing's production system a "rambling, shambling disaster waiting to happen." It claims the company is entirely responsible for this month's mid-air blowout on an Alaska Airlines flight.
FOX 4 reached out to the Southwest Airline Pilots Association for comment but have not heard back.