Southwest Airlines
Low-cost airline of the United States
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| May 28 2025 | Southwest ended its long-standing policy of offering two free checked bags. |
| May 1 2025 | Southwest introduced aircraft with new extra-legroom seating in the first five rows and near exit doors on retrofitted Boeing 737-800 and MAX 8 aircraft, initially offering these seats at no additional cost. |
| February 2025 | Following a board takeover, Southwest laid off 1,750 non-contract staff, approximately 15% of its corporate workforce. |
| 2024 |
McGee publicly acknowledged Pete Buttigieg's improvements, praising the systematic changes instituted in the Department of Transportation and noting a positive shift in Buttigieg's regulatory approach.
Economic Liberties Applauds DOT’s Response to Southwest Airlines 2022 Holiday Meltdown - Economic Liberties Applauds DOT’s Response to Southwest Airlines 2022 Holiday Meltdown
www.economicliberties.us
Insider Travel Report | Consumer Group Claims DOT Is Giving Airlines a Free Pass on Flight Delays
www.insidertravelreport.com
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| 2024 | Southwest Airlines discontinued services to Cozumel International Airport, Syracuse Hancock International Airport, Houston's George Bush Intercontinental Airport, and Bellingham International Airport. |
| 2024 | Southwest Airlines discontinued service to Syracuse, New York after a relatively short period of operation. |
| October 2024 | Southwest reached a settlement with Elliott Investment Management, resulting in Gary Kelly stepping down as executive chairman and five Elliott-backed directors joining the board. |
| October 9 2024 | The last aircraft in the Canyon Blue livery (N786SW) is retired, marking the end of the Canyon Blue Era. |
| September 2024 | Gary Kelly announced he would not seek reelection as executive chairman in 2025, in response to pressure from Elliott Investment Management. |
| June 2024 | Elliott Investment Management announced a $1.9 billion position in Southwest and launched a campaign to change leadership, arguing the company had 'failed to evolve'. |
| May 2024 | Southwest Airlines fares began appearing on Google search results for the first time. |
| January 2024 | Latest five-year labor contract for Southwest Airlines pilots was approved. |
| 2023 | The airline further expanded, reaching 137 million passengers with a passenger load factor of 80.0% and growing its fleet to 817 aircraft. |
| 2023 | Southwest launched Imua One, their first Boeing 737 MAX 8 with a Hawaii-themed livery, dedicated to Southwest employees and the Hawaiian community. |
| December 2023 | Southwest Airlines reached a settlement with the US Department of Transportation and received a record-setting $140 million fine, the largest ever imposed by the agency, and reported losses exceeding $1.1 billion from the 2022 holiday meltdown. |
| November 2023 | Southwest Airlines and DFW Airport confirmed preliminary talks about starting service at the airport after Love Field gate requirements expire in 2025. |
| January 28 2023 | Saturday Night Live aired a comedy sketch parodying the Southwest Airlines scheduling crisis, featuring comedians Heidi Gardner and Devon Walker mocking the airline's response with satirical solutions. |
| January 6 2023 | Southwest issues approximately US$300 worth of frequent flyer points to affected customers, valid until March 31, 2023. By this date, Southwest's stock has lost 8% of its value from before the crisis. |
| January 2 2023 | Three days after declaring a return to normal operations, Southwest still cancels 160 flights (3% of its flights) and delays 422 flights (10% of scheduled flights), with most disrupted flights in or out of Denver. |
| 2022 | William J. McGee publicly criticized the Department of Transportation for regulatory inaction during the Southwest Airlines scheduling crisis, arguing that transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg had not effectively regulated the airline industry. |
| 2022 | Southwest Airlines Pilots Association (SWAPA) picketed the airline, demanding improvements to the crew scheduling system rather than traditional pay or benefit negotiations. |
| 2022 | Southwest's flight cancellation rate had increased to 2.4%, tripling from its 2012 level, and the airline's on-time flight rate dropped to its lowest in 10 years. |
| 2022 | Southwest Airlines continued its recovery, increasing passengers to 126 million and improving passenger load factor to 83.4%. |
| December 2022 | Southwest experienced a massive operational meltdown during the holiday season, canceling over 15,000 flights and incurring a record $140 million fine from the U.S. Department of Transportation. |
| December 30 2022 | Dramatic reduction in cancellations with only 34 flights canceled (1% of schedule), though 939 flights are still delayed. |
| December 30 2022 | Southwest begins flying most of its regular schedule, and CEO Robert Jordan issues an apology via video recording seven days after mass cancellations began. |
| December 29 2022 | Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg sends a letter to Southwest Airlines CEO identifying that cancellations were not caused by weather, placing financial responsibility on Southwest. |
| December 27 2022 | United States Senate Commerce Committee promises to investigate the Southwest Airlines scheduling crisis. |
| December 26 2022 | Southwest Airlines initiated a massive system 'reset', preemptively canceling thousands of flights and halting ticket sales to manage the ongoing operational crisis. |
| December 24 2022 | Extensive travel disruptions continue with 1,420 flight cancellations on Christmas Eve. |
| December 22 2022 | Flight cancellations escalate to 1,026 flights, with 1,750 additional flights delayed. |
| December 21 2022 | Southwest Airlines begins experiencing significant flight cancellations, with 178 flights canceled and 1,435 delayed. |
| December 21 2022 | Southwest declares a 'state of operational emergency' at Denver International Airport due to an unusually high number of staff absences during the North American winter storm, implementing mandatory overtime and restricting telemedicine appointments for sick leave. |
| November 2022 | Southwest CEO Jordan acknowledged that the company's growth had outpaced its technological tools, noting the airline was still using paper-based reporting while other airlines had long since adopted electronic systems. |
| November 2022 | SWAPA (Southwest Airlines Pilots Association) predicted the company was 'one IT router failure away from a complete meltdown', highlighting critical technological vulnerabilities. |
| July 2022 | Southwest acknowledged MAX 7 type certification delays, expecting no deliveries until 2026 and planning to receive MAX 8 aircraft in the interim. |
| July 27 2022 | Federal investigators released a report citing four whistleblowers, claiming Southwest stonewalled FAA investigations into maintenance and piloting safety lapses, and misused the Aviation Safety Action Program to hide pilot errors. |
| February 1 2022 | Bob Jordan became Southwest's sixth CEO, replacing Gary C. Kelly. |
| 2021 | By this year, Southwest had completed a 27% reduction in full-time tech workers, despite overall full-time employment declining by only 6%, indicating a disproportionate cut in technological support staff. |
| 2021 | Southwest expands service to new markets, including Houston Bush Airport, Chicago O'Hare, Miami International Airport, and three Colorado ski cities. |
| 2021 | The airline began recovering from the pandemic, increasing passenger numbers to 99 million with a lower passenger load factor of 78.5%. |
| 2021 | Southwest opened a 5-gate extension of Terminal A at Baltimore/Washington International Airport, becoming the sole occupant of the terminal. |
| 2021 | Southwest partnered with Disney to celebrate both companies' 50th anniversaries, featuring a special livery and Disney characters inside the cabin (N954WN). |
| 2021 | Southwest unveiled Freedom One, their first Boeing 737-800 with a United States flag-themed special livery. |
| November 14 2021 | Southwest Airlines launched scheduled flights to Syracuse, New York, expanding its destination network. |
| October 2021 | Southwest canceled more than 2,000 flights, attributing the disruption to a combination of weather, insufficient staff, and air traffic control issues. |
| September 14 2021 | Thomas M. Nealon retired from his duties as president, with Mike Van de Ven named as the company's new president. |
| June 2021 | Southwest Airlines experienced a mass flight cancellation event, highlighting early signs of scheduling and operational challenges. |
| June 23 2021 | Southwest announced that CEO Gary Kelly would transition roles in early 2022, becoming executive chairman. |
| May 23 2021 | A female passenger assaulted a Southwest flight attendant, punching her in the face and causing her to lose two teeth. The passenger was charged with causing serious bodily injury. |
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This contents of the box above is based on material from the Wikipedia articles Southwest Airlines fleet, List of Southwest Airlines destinations, 2022 Southwest Airlines scheduling crisis, History of Southwest Airlines & Southwest Airlines, which are released under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.