The airline said it was pleased to reach a "consumer-friendly settlement." Southwest Airlines has been handed a record $140 million fine for its operational meltdown during the 2022 holiday travel season, the U.S. Department of Transportation said Monday. The civil penalty leveled against the airline is about 30 times larger than any previous fine against an airline, DOT officials said in a press release. The DOT said it will also require Southwest to start issuing a $75 flight credit to any passenger whose arrival is delayed more than 3 hours...

Dallas-based Southwest Airlines will pay $35 million to the U.S. Department of Transportation and start offering vouchers to some delayed customers as penance for last year’s holiday meltdown that has already cost the company more than $1.1 billion. The settlement with the federal government comes after a year-long investigation into the breakdown of Southwest’s network last year after winter storms crippled airline operations in Denver and Chicago in late December, forcing the carrier to cancel more than 16,000 flights even as the rest of the industry recovered quickly. As part...

KENNER, La. — A passenger on board a Southwest Airlines flight out of New Orleans opened the emergency exit on the plane and left the aircraft via the plane’s wing on Sunday, police said. The plane was still on the skyway and was not moving at the time of the incident, NBC News reported. Witnesses said that the man opened the over-wing door, jumped from the wing and then ran across the tarmac to a service truck and tried to drive away. Law enforcement caught the man and, according to...

KENNER, La. (CBS Newspath/WKRC) - A passenger on a Southwest Airlines flight was arrested after he escaped through the plane's emergency hatch Sunday. According to WWL4, the Jefferson Parish Sheriff's Office (JPSO) confirmed the arrest of the passenger at the Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport. Per the outlet, the aircraft was at the terminal and had to be pushed back from the gate prior to takeoff. Witnesses told WWL4 that the passenger opened an over-the-wing exit and jumped off the plane, then attempted to steal a service truck before...

Southwest Airlines will locate a new crew base at Nashville International Airport starting in 2024, creating an anticipated 1,300 jobs, officials said Tuesday. Naming Nashville's airport as the 12th crew base in the Southwest system is estimated to create slots for about 150 to 250 pilots, which could grow to 500 to 600, according to a news release from Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee. Also, roughly 500 to 700 flight attendants could be part of the new crew base, the release said. "As a top global travel destination and business hub,...

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WKRN) – Southwest Airlines is furthering its commitment to Music City with the addition of a new crew base at Nashville International Airport, the airline announced Monday. The new base is slated to open in 2024 and is expected to create an estimated 1,300 new jobs for Tennesseans. Governor Bill Lee said he is honored that the airline chose Tennessee as its destination to open a new base, which is a testament to BNA’s growth and the state’s standing as a global travel destination. “As a top global...

US authorities said they are investigating a near-collision between a Southwest Airlines Co. plane and a Cessna business jet at San Diego airport last week. The National Transportation Safety Board said on Saturday it’s looking into the runway incursion on Aug. 11 which left no injuries or damage. The incident took place when a Cessna 560X was cleared to land on runway 27 and conflicted with a Southwest Airlines Boeing 737 aircraft which was in a line up on the same runway, it said. The Federal Aviation Administration said in...

A federal judge has set off a debate among legal scholars by ordering lawyers for Southwest Airlines to undergo “religious-liberty training” by a conservative Christian legal group. Critics say that if the judge believes such training is necessary, he should have found a less polarizing group to conduct it. U.S. District Judge Brantley Starr made the decision after ruling that Southwest was in contempt of court for defying a previous order he issued in a case involving a flight attendant who said she was fired for expressing her opposition to...