Grounding planes likely cost Southwest millions

[Omaha Steve]

Source: AP

By DAVID KOENIG

DALLAS (AP) - Southwest Airlines Co.'s decision to cancel about 300 flights Saturday inconvenienced thousands of passengers and may have cost the airline several million dollars in lost revenue.

The damage to Southwest's earnings would be reduced, however, if stranded passengers rebook on other Southwest flights rather than canceling their planned trip.

The airline canceled the flights - more than 10 percent of its Saturday schedule - when it grounded nearly 80 planes of the same type that had a rupture in its fuselage after takeoff from Phoenix on Friday. The planes will undergo inspections of their aluminum skin.

Southwest spokeswoman Linda Rutherford said it was too soon for the company to estimate the cost of grounding one-seventh of its fleet. She said Southwest might provide numbers later this month, when it releases its first-quarter earnings report.

Read more: http://apnews.excite.com/article/20110402/D9MBPUDG0.html

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A company did the right thing and put safety first?

[Lithos]

1. Part of the risk they assumed...

They opted to run a uniform model of airplane. The benefit was ease and efficiency of day to day operations. The cost was the creation of a Single Point of Failure should something arise with the specific model of airplane they are flying.

[Liberty Belle]

2. Still cheaper than a crash, and by doing the right thing swiftly

they will restore public confidence. Southwest has always seemed like a pretty good company to me, with very good service, so not surprised to see them address this promptly and put safety over profits. I would fly them next time I have to travel just to show some support.

[CherokeeDem]

3. Southwest Airlines....

is known for being one of the best companies to work for. I saw a videotaped a seminar with one of the company executives and their philosophy is that the employee comes first. Their reasoning? If an employee is happy, then management and their customers will be happy. What a concept.

According to what I heard in that seminar, Southwest is the only airline to show a profit in each year of it's existence. I suppose that could change now. Still a very good company from an employee standpoint.

[global1]

4. I For One Respect The Decision Of Southwest & Though Inconvenienced.....

I will continue to fly them because they put my safety ahead of their profits. In my mind that is the way a excellent company deals with their problems. They are a very customer-service oriented company. It is apparent that their employees are happy as well. They do take care of their customers with a smile. I only fly other airlines at times because Southwest doesn't fly to all the cities I travel to. Any flight that I make - I go to Southwest first. Everyone should do the same. Perhaps if more people did - the other airlines that are nickel and dime(ing)you would have to drop their extra bag charges and carry on charges in order to compete with Southwest. That is the only way we're going to win against the stupid marketing that these other airlines do in order to suck out more money from the captive audience public.

[Tripod]

5. k&r. I don't know why this happened.

But, maybe other planes should be inspected better.

[Sherman A1]

6. While I agree with you

One wonders if this could have been avoided with a more thorough inspection regime? There is this closing the barn door after the horse has left sense to it all.

"PHOENIX – Federal records show cracks were found and repaired a year ago in the frame of the Southwest Airlines Boeing 737-300 that made an emergency landing at an Arizona military base after a hole was torn from the passenger cabin."

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/us_southwest_flight_diverted