Southwest Airline CEO Gary Kelly is in receipt of an urgent letter from the executive board of Transport Workers Union (TWU) Local 556, which represents more than 16,000 frontline Southwest flight attendants.
The letter was fired off late Monday after a report on the safety culture at both Southwest and American Airlines aired earlier in the day on “CBS This Morning.”
The seven-minute-plus report by aviation correspondent Kris Van Cleave did not include any dramatic new revelations. But it did show on camera mechanics at both Southwest and American alleging — as they have for more than a year — that they are being pressured to ignore possible mechanical problems on grounded aircraft in order to get planes back in the air generating revenue as quickly as possible.
This latest report on mechanics’ safety concerns, however, pushed Local 556 to take action.
In what sources say is a rare move by Local 556’s executive board to reach out directly to the airline’s top management, the letter urges Kelly to “take to heart” the claims made by Southwest mechanics in the CBS report.
The Chicago Business Journal obtained a copy of the letter, which laid bare to Kelly the flight attendant union’s principal concerns
“As you know, we represent over 16,000 hardworking Southwest Airlines flight attendants who fly on our aircraft every day," the letter said. "It is of the utmost importance that Southwest Airlines provide the safest operation possible, so that every one of our crews may return home to their families. We are asking that you immediately act on the issues reported by CBS and ensure that any and all reports of potential safety lapses are taken seriously.”
The letter from Southwest flight attendants’ governing board further underscored what they consider the gravity of the allegations: “It is regrettable that we are having to send you this letter. Indeed, as the safety professionals charged with the safety and care of every customer on a Southwest Airlines flight, these reports of what appears to be systemic safety lapses brings us grave concerns.”
Asked about the letter from Local 556 and CEO Kelly’s response to it, a Southwest spokeswoman on Wednesday said: “We are in receipt of the letter and will be responding directly to Transport Workers Union 556. Our leadership maintains an open dialogue with all of our unions, promptly addressing any questions or concerns they may bring forward. We are absolutely confident that our maintenance policies, procedures and programs ensure the safety and airworthiness of our aircraft.”
The new spotlight on the safety culture at Southwest, however, comes at a crucial moment for the low-fare carrier. Southwest is in the final stages of attempting to get authorization from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to fly Southwest’s first-ever scheduled flights from the United States mainland to Hawaii. That service could begin as early as late March — that is if the carrier gets the needed FAA authorization.
Southwest also is the subject of an ongoing audit by the Inspector General in the United States Department of Transportation who is looking into the safety culture at the airline and an alleged cozy relationship the carrier may have had with FAA safety inspectors.
The Southwest spokeswoman on Wednesday said the audit is “in no way linked to our Hawaii efforts.”
Both Southwest and American mechanics also are in the middle of protracted bargaining talks over new contracts.
The talks at Southwest have dragged on for more than six years, and the two sides moved farther apart last month after Southwest suddenly told mechanics the airline wants to revisit moving some aircraft maintenance work to foreign vendors — a move mechanics have alleged could further affect safety at the airline and possibly jeopardize mechanics’ jobs.
Southwest Airlines (NYSE: LUV) has its largest hub at Chicago’s Midway International Airport. American Airlines (NASDAQ: AAL) has its third largest hub at Chicago's O'Hare International Airport.