Swa maintenance issues?

[AV80R]

No SWA bashing please but has this article already been posted? Also, do you think this will hurt the SWA growth rate?


Southwest Airlines allowed to fly 'unsafe' planes for months.

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- -- Discount air carrier Southwest Airlines flew thousands of passengers on aircraft federal inspectors said were "unsafe" as recently as last March, according to detailed congressional documents obtained by CNN. Congressional documents show Southwest Airlines flew thousands of passengers on aircraft deemed "unsafe" by federal inspectors.

Documents submitted by FAA inspectors to congressional investigators allege the airline flew at least 117 of its planes in violation of mandatory safety checks. In some cases, the documents say, the planes flew for 30 months past government inspection deadlines that should have grounded the planes until the inspections could be completed.
The planes were "not air worthy," according to congressional air safety investigators.
Calling it "one of the worst safety violations" he has ever seen, Rep. James Oberstar, D-Minnesota, is expected to call a hearing as soon as possible to ask why the airline put its own passengers in danger.
Southwest Airlines, which carried more passengers in the United States than any other airline last year, declined comment on the allegations.
"We are not doing interviews. We are only preparing for the hearings at this time," said Southwest Airlines spokeswoman Brandy King.
cont...

Full article

 

[Headfake14]

yada yada...someone trying to dig up dirt on them.

 

[captainv]

Yada yada yada?

SWA flew 30 months past inspection and that's not a big deal?

 

[wildcard]

Hate to say this but Welcome Southwest to the Airline industry. They are NOW like everyone else! This is truely a sad day.

 

[Zdriver]

My guess for what it's worth, is they just switched over to a new computerized maintance program, which caught the mistake. The oversite was self reported, there will probly be fines associated with the oversite, but these things happen all the time in aviation.

 

[becket]

yada yada...someone trying to dig up dirt on them.

What a stupid comment. Did you read the report? Do you know what a rudder hard-over is? PIT 1994 ring a bell?

It's been patently obvious to anybody that flys for a living that SWA has Always gotten preferential treatment by the FAA. Now heads are probably going to start rolling. It's about damn time.

Let's see "ol' herb" up on the hill, and joke his way out of this one.

 

[embpic1]

Well it is the main story on cnn.com. It looks like they did not self disclose. Two FAA inspectors are blowing the whistle on this one. It sounds like some FAA officials are in hot water also.

 

[Raskal]

Wow, just when all my faith in airline management was restored...

 

[Quimby]

What a stupid comment. Did you read the report? Do you know what a rudder hard-over is? PIT 1994 ring a bell?

It's been patently obvious to anybody that flys for a living that SWA has Always gotten preferential treatment by the FAA. Now heads are probably going to start rolling. It's about damn time.

Let's see "ol' herb" up on the hill, and joke his way out of this one.

so much venom towards SWA......what'd they do to you?

 

[A-Track]

They did self disclose but still did nothing about it. I guess I missed the part in the FAR's where AD's are optional.

"The documents show Southwest Airlines voluntarily disclosed some of the missed inspections last spring, and Southwest Airlines told the Wall Street Journal it did not expect any civil penalties to be imposed because of the self-disclosure.
But, even after the airline's disclosure, FAA inspectors assert that planes continued to fly, in some cases for more than a week, before inspections were complete. The airline "did not take immediate, corrective action," according to the congressional documents obtained by CNN."

 

[On Your Six]

Don't worry, Tanker Clown will be flying for SWA soon and he will ensure everything is on the right track. Everyone should feel safer knowing that.

 

[becket]

so much venom towards SWA......what'd they do to you?

I'm just sick of having to wait for them to either land or push back so I can be cleared to follow them on the taxi. ATC gives them such blatant preferential treatment it's obscene. We all have schedules to keep and fuel ain't cheap.

I have more venom against the Feds than SWA.

 

[ackattacker]

Beyond the inevitable fines, it's not good for SWA to get front-page headlines like this. Ouch.

 

[Whataburger]

I'm just sick of having to wait for them to either land or push back so I can be cleared to follow them on the taxi. ATC gives them such blatant preferential treatment it's obscene. We all have schedules to keep and fuel ain't cheap.

I have more venom against the Feds than SWA.

Probably doesn't hurt us that we're Always ready for taxi 2 minutes after push starts, we Never have to wait for numbers, and wil get the hell out of their airport asap.

 

[Whataburger]

Beyond the inevitable fines, it's not good for SWA to get front-page headlines like this. Ouch.

Ask Brittney how bad news in the media has hurt her. You know as well as I do that regardless of this news the flying public will forget about this in a week and point and click on the cheapest fare that is getting them to their spring break destination.
Yea it sux we missed something. Thank God nothing happened. Sh!t happens. We fly 3,500 legs a day, over 1mil a year, and have well over 500 planes. Do you think you could run a perfect operation with all those moving parts? I couldn't.
Why all the haters?