In the wake of the embarrassing, costly Southwest Airlines’ operational meltdown, its pilots are moving closer to a strike-authorization vote.
Union president Casey Murray said the Southwest Airlines Pilots Association (SWAPA) has been fighting for three years to get a contract that would lock in safeguards to keep the airline’s operations on an even keel and prevent pilot fatigue.
“The way we see our contract is to provide some guardrails, to protect them from themselves,” Murray said in a Jan. 9 video update posted on the SWAPA website.
Representing 10,000 pilots, the union has pushed for contract language addressing scheduling issues. Those were cited among the weak points that caused Southwest’s operations to collapse in late 2022….