(Southwest Airlines) has been in the news a lot lately, and it may be two-fold. On the one hand, the airline company experienced a major malfunction when it was forced to ground all flights. The flight grounding was caused by a technological failure, but even so, flights resumed shortly after the incident. On the other hand, Southwest was quick at resolving the data malfunction, but it probably won’t be quickly forgiven by passengers who were delayed, and plans foiled as a result.
It was also in the headlines during the holiday season, the most traveled part of the year. Not just a few, but thousands of Southwest travelers were left stranded for ten or more hours, while trying to make their holiday travels.
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Southwest Airlines (LUV) problems that are forefront in the media’s eyes are the result of technical issues. Hearing technical issues are one of the biggest problems plaguing any airline company certainly won’t instill much confidence in its travelers or perhaps perspective travelers, who might choose to fly another airline hoping to avoid being stranded because of a software issue.
Given that other airline companies are not going through the same software issues, it means that there are ways to correct or replace the problems that Southwest has been having.
Southwest Debuts New Look
While Southwest has been plagued with problems surrounding out-of-date technology, it is still offering the same service as before. Southwest is celebrating the anniversary of its first interisland flight within the Hawaiian Islands with the debut of its new Boeing 737 MAX 8 dedicated in honor of the Heart of Hawaii with its Hawaiian-themed aircraft livery or the design on the aircraft.
“When we dedicate an airplane, it’s not only a symbol of gratitude, but also of a promise we’ve made,” said Southwest Airlines’ CEO Bob Jordan. “Hawaii welcomed Southwest with warm aloha, and we approached serving the people of Hawaii with an earnest desire to connect them with important moments, places, and the people who matter most in their lives. We’ve grown since our first arrival on the Islands four years ago, to 90 departures a day, thanks to the support of Island communities. Each flight is filled with—and powered by—an essence of aloha, combined with the Heart of Southwest and our People, all working together and moving forward.”
The aircraft livery contains eight Hawaiian design elements that are significant to the islands: Ohana means family, Honu means turtle, Aina means land, Ama means support, Hoku means star, Kai means ocean, Lokahi means unity, and Imua means forward, and all these meanings come together are found on the Imua One.
Southwest didn’t stop there with honoring the Hawaiian Islands but also donated $10,000 to eight different organizations in the islands: AccesSurf, Boys and Girls Club Hawaii, Hoola Na Pua, Liv. Pregnancy and Women’s Wellness, National Tropical Botanical Garden, Native Hawaiian Hospitality Association, Pacific Whale Foundation, and the UH Institute of Astronomy.
This isn’t the first time Southwest has dedicated a new aircraft; it is the first aircraft in the airline’s fleet that has in-seat power in every seat. Other aircraft dedications were to the airline’s founder, Herbert D. Kelleher and to the Southwest President Emeritus Colleen C. Barrett.
Southwest Fans React
It was a mixed bag when Southwest debuted the new aircraft and did its dedication in the honor of Hawaiian’s culture. Some comments were of the beautiful colors of the new aircraft, excitement, and asking about who the designer’s artist was. However, with any launch comes the naysayers, asking but where are my tickets, I want my ten hours back (referring to the delay during this past holiday season grounding delay). “What’s that, like 2 tons of paint? So much for global greenhouse gases,” tweeted @jameswbetts.
While Southwest continues to fight to regain its loyal fan base’s trust back, it is still facing the uncertain future of the possibility of the grounding happening again. Southwest Airlines Pilot Association Vice President, Captain Michael Santoro thinks there is a 50/50 chance that the system could fail again.
Hearing that from Santoro won’t help bring the trust back to its customers, but it isn’t hiding behind its failures either. Southwest has stated that it is working on it and calls it a “work in progress.”
The angst towards Southwest may be warranted, but it soon may not matter if you're feelings are hurt because of a flight delay. A bigger problem is pilot shortage, which is not a Southwest problem alone, it is across all airline companies. "We talked a lot about what’s constraining the airline. And right now, that is pilot hiring," Jordan said. "So, we have aircraft effectively that we are not producing capacity out of today because the constraint is just pilots," he said.
