Maria Lenhart, Skift
Southwest Airlines’ entry into the Hawaii market is likely to bring more competitive airfares from the U.S. mainland and also on inter-island routes. The good news may be tempered, however, by rising hotel rates and limited availability in Hawaii’s most-popular destinations.
9 hours ago
Associated Press
In a court filing, Southwest accused mechanics of slowing down the airline's operation due to a labor dispute. Southwest may have been able to absorb the possible slowdown had that been the only issue affecting operations. But once the FAA grounded all Boeing 737 Max jets, Southwest had to solve this problem.
1 week ago
Mary Schlangenstein, Bloomberg
As much of a hit as some Boeing Max-heavy airlines may face in the near-term, it will be nothing compared to the financial fallout Boeing faces. Bloomberg Intelligence says it could be $100 million a month.
1 week ago
Brian Sumers, Skift
U.S. airlines downplayed the significance of the FAA's decision to ground the Boeing 737 Max, mostly saying they have enough slack in their fleets to take care of most customers. American and United probably will be OK, but it's hard to believe this will be business as usual for Southwest. It has more Max aircraft than the others.
2 weeks ago
Brian Sumers, Skift
The Federal Aviation Administration finally bowed to pressure. The United States followed the world and grounded all Boeing Max jets, including the larger models flown by United Airlines.
2 weeks ago
Mary Schlangenstein and Alan Levin, Bloomberg
Southwest doesn't have a lot of experience with ugly labor disputes. Historically, it has had better relations with represented employees than other U.S. carriers. But this is getting nasty, and the airline needs to solve it. Letting the dispute drag on will be bad for business.
3 weeks ago
Brian Sumers, Skift
It is not rare for an airline's operation to suffer when a major work group is unhappy with contract negotiations. Pilots and maintenance technicians have considerable authority to defer an issue, or to demand it be fixed right away.
3 weeks ago
Mary Schlangenstein, Bloomberg
The discount carrier will hit the ground running this month, adding new routes through the end of May. Is Hawaiian Airlines ready for the new competition?
3 weeks ago
Mary Schlangenstein, Bloomberg
Southwest's operation has been less reliable than usual recently. The airline has asked whether some mechanics, upset about the status of contract negotiations, may be purposely citing minor issues to pull aircraft from service. A federal judge must decide if this is a job action, or something else.
4 weeks ago
Associated Press
We know why consumers have been so interested in Southwest's plans to fly to Hawaii. Southwest tends to stimulate the market at first, so prices drop. We're more curious at why people were so interested in the government approval process. Southwest has been around for nearly 50 years, with an almost perfect safety record. It was always going to win approval. The only question was when.
4 weeks ago
Mary Schlangenstein, Bloomberg
Southwest is frequently held up as an airline that has a great relationship with its employees. Has anyone factored in the airline's mechanics?
1 month ago
Mary Schlangenstein, Bloomberg
Mechanical issues, and now computer glitches, have hampered Southwest Airlines' operations this month. Coupled with fallout from the government shutdown, it hasn't been a good year for the airline so far.
1 month ago