Southwest Airlines this week unveiled an action plan to increase its operational resilience, prevent future network outages and improve support for employees and customers in contingency situations.
Bob Jordan, the low-cost carrier’s CEO, unveiled the main points of the initiative at the J.P. Morgan Industrials Conference in New York.
According to the company, internal assessments and analysis by aviation consulting firm Oliver Wyman were key to identifying opportunities for improvement and prioritising actions to be taken. As a result, Southwest developed a three-part «Tactical Action Plan» to optimise operations in several areas.
See also: Southwest launches flights on new routes between the United States, Mexico and Central America
Southwest Airlines’ Tactical Action Plan
At the end of 2022, Southwest began a five-year modernisation plan. However, over the next few months it will accelerate operational investments and prioritise the implementation of «tools and technology that allow for a greater pace of recovery during extreme events».
The company plans to invest more than 1.3 billion dollars in information technology systems upgrades and maintenance during 2023.
Southwest will upgrade customer service phone systems to improve efficiency during periods of high call volumes for particular situations. It also recently upgraded its crew scheduling solution after finding deficiencies last December.
Investments to improve winter storm response
Soutwest reported that it is working to improve winter storm infrastructure and preparedness. The initiative includes purchasing additional de-icing trucks, securing additional de-icing pads, increasing the amount of de-icing fluid available at key airports in the network and acquiring more engine covers and engine heaters for cold weather operations.
The company remarked that it will increase the number of staff available during the upcoming winter season to encourage employee turnover and limit, for example, their time spent outdoors.
In addition, Southwest plans to introduce a new weather application that would provide its pilots with dynamic, real-time indications. From this tool, the waiting times required to carry out de-icing procedures would be optimised.
See also: Southwest Meltdown: status of flights to Latin America and the Caribbean
Collapse of Southwest’s operations due to Winter Storm Elliot
In the days leading up to and following Christmas 2022, Southwest experienced massive cancellations and delays as a result of Winter Storm Elliot. According to the airline itself, which was the hardest hit among American carriers, the situation «overwhelmed operations» and hampered established processes.
Nearly 60% of flights scheduled for 27 December were cancelled, an unprecedented collapse in the company’s history. Working to improve responsiveness is therefore critical.
«We understand the root causes that led to the holiday disruption, and we are validating our internal review with the third-party assessment», said Bob Jordan. «Now, we expect to mitigate the risk of an event of this magnitude ever happening again», he explained. Jordan also thanked the company’s employees and stressed that «work is well underway implementing action items to prepare for next winter, with some items already completed».
