Me and my wife are trying to get to California from Nebraska for the holidays like everyone else and i just wanted to give y'all a look based on what ive heard from Southwest employees.
So many delays are from pilots being unable to get their LEGAL rest requirements and pilots having to be called in to work / off other cancelled flights to fill flights, there has been a pilot shortage in recent years but i want to know what southwest specifically is doing to run off their pilot workforce
Flight crew told me they'd been rescheduled to different flights to work two times since arriving at shift at Denver and one gate agent had to plead for patience as crew has also been stranded at Denver for awhile and it is not just passengers
Flights are staying on the tarmack for a few hours at a time as ramp staff is incredibly overwhelmed, as many saw the memo about Denver these guys are struggling, and it will only likely get worse as southwest solves it's staffing idea with checks notes firing people
Gate staff has had major turnover (again what is southwest specifically doing to run off staff) recently and a lot of southwest gate employees at Denver are new and struggling to keep up with delays, cancellations, rescheduled flights, gate reassignment and recently- a downed system
To think most of these issues could be mitigated if southwest made it at all appealing to work for them and threatening to fire anyone who dares be human is horrible – if anything i hope southwest employees unionize after this
People really need to realize that unions benefit ALL people not just the workers in the union – I'd rather be delayed another day than know some poor employee died trying to get to work for subpar pay