Summary
- Southwest Airlines faces its first winter weather test in Denver this yr, following last winter’s operational meltdown during heavy winter storms.
- The airline claims to have taken significant measures to stop an identical logistical breakdown from happening again and has emphasized the importance of smooth operations this winter season.
- Southwest’s ground team is preparing for the winter weather in Denver, with deicing happening on its Boeing 737s, as smooth operations in town are critical for the airline.
With snow forecasted for the Denver area over the vacation weekend, Southwest Airlines will face its first winter weather test this yr. The carrier, which stays under scrutiny attributable to its operational meltdown over the vacations last winter, shall be put to the test to see if smooth operations shall be observed this weekend. In keeping with Tom Kines, senior meteorologist at Accuweather, town is about to see as much as six inches of snow over the weekend.
Denver International Airport (DEN) serves as considered one of Southwest Airlines’ many operating bases. From the airport, Southwest serves 79 different year-round destinations across america, Mexico, Central America, and the Caribbean, along with 17 seasonal services.
What has Southwest done to stop one other logistical breakdown?
In late December of 2022, heavy winter storms and freezing temperatures caught an unexpecting Southwest by surprise, forcing the carrier to cancel hundreds of flights across the nation. These disruptions led to the airline’s now-infamous logistical meltdown, because the carrier’s systems broke down attempting to always assign and reassign staff. 1000’s of passengers were left stranded across the country without their luggage through the critical holiday season.
Photo: Robin Guess | Shutterstock
Through the critical holiday season, considered one of the times during which carriers often see the best operating margins, Southwest Airlines was sidelined and compelled to cancel nearly all operations for just a few days during this era. Shareholders, industry insiders, and the corporate’s employees took note and criticized the carrier heavily for its role within the meltdown.
Nonetheless, the corporate claims that it has taken significant measures to stop such a problem from happening again. Surely, an identical logistical meltdown happening again would permanently damage the carrier’s fame.
Photo: Markus Mainka | Shutterstock
On Friday morning, Southwest’s ground team set to work preparing for the winter weather, with overnight frost deicing on the carrier’s Boeing 737s happening at DEN within the early hours of the day. Ensuring smooth operations in Denver is critical for the airline, which bases over 10% of its cabin staff on the airport alone.
Southwest’s direction
With a comparatively smooth summer from an operational perspective, Southwest appears to have bounced back quite strongly from last yr’s logistical meltdown. The airline’s leadership has been quick to focus on the importance of ensuring smooth operations this winter season, with Chief Operating Officer Andrew Watterson issuing the next statement:
“Now we have a whole lot of pride based on our 50-plus yr history, so preparing to stop something like that from happening again was and is an imperative.”
Within the wake of last yr’s meltdown, Southwest developed an in depth plan to concentrate on ensuring smooth winter operations through the acceleration of operational investments and collaboration across different teams. This plan also involved strategy evaluation from consulting firm Oliver Wyman, which the carrier had hired for the aim.
Photo: Carlos E. Santa Maria | Shutterstock
Given what happened last yr, it’s crucial that Southwest maintain a solid plan to handle severe winter weather. This weekend, we could get our first have a look at this plan within the Denver area.