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Southwest passengers get no damages for flights canceled by de-icer shortage: U.S. judge
Southwest Airlines Co won the dismissal of a proposed class-action lawsuit seeking damages for stranded passengers on hundreds of winter flights it was forced to cancel because it ran out of de-icer fluid. U.S. District Judge Sara Ellis in Chicago ruled on Tuesday that Southwest's ticketing terms did not imply that the Dallas-based carrier had a legal duty to always stock enough fluid. She also said the terms explicitly excused Southwest from liability, because passenger safety could be… (www.yahoo.com) Más...Sort type: [Top] [Newest]
southwest does not get off my hook so easily: if the oversight was not entirely theirs, the callous response was entirely theirs and not so very pretty is it.
Their response was the policies they have in place. The policies are available when you book your ticket. People have a choice on the airline they choose. Thought sh*t. Nothing happened to the people who sued that didn’t happen to many more people.
Hey SWA Winter is Coming!
SWA operates more flights out of MDW than anyone else so the statement about other airlines running not running out is completely invalid. I would be willing to be those other airlines use a ground handling company to provide those services and SWA has their own employees. I would not call improper or inadequate when the amount of flights by SWA vs other airlines. There could have been a delay by the supplier due to the weather. Don't assume SWA did not order enough.
I can't speak for other airlines but I know that when I worked for NWA as a Mechanic (1992 - 2005) they had deicing crews made up strictly of NWA Cleaners and Baggage Handlers. These were seasonal billets of course. I worked MSP and DTW and Northwest never ran out of deicer fluid. It's a MUST HAVE item for the northern stations. If SWA ran out it's because they were trying to cut costs ( read "being Cheap") and ordered the bare minimum. That stuff is ordered months in advance and stockpiled. It was Chicago for Pete's sake, not Tampa. To say other airlines don't fly as many flights out of MDW as SWA really isn't a valid point as you stock for your anticipated usage plus unanticipated conditions. If you don't use it all then it's there for next years use.
It just never ends - the reasons and ways airlines come up with to abuse their customers .... "time to spare, go by air". I only fly if I don't need to be there AND it's free on my credit card points. Drove 36,398 miles last year in 46 states and 7 Canadian provinces and enjoyed every mile and kilometer! On track for slightly less this year.