Southwest Airlines canceled 20,000 flights. Now for really bad news

Let’s start with the good news.

Business travel (supposedly) is back, and Southwest Airlines finally committed myself to bring customers the basic technology they expect in flight.

The airline is spending $2 billion on enhanced – and even free – wifi on its planes. Finally, it also installed the source ports. That’s right, Southwest planes have always been known for having no outlets and now, voilá, USB-A, and USB-C ports.

Now there will be more entertainment options, new “self-service capabilities,” and even a free iPad.

In fact, I could be completely wrong about that last one. But when Southwest has announced all of this, maybe the airline will forgive them. for canceling 20,000 flights between June and Labor Day.

It’s not that Southwest doesn’t want to operate those flights, it’s just that it doesn’t have the people – or the planes – to fly them.

Now that we’ve covered people – an undervalued commodity in today’s economy – it might be wise to consider that just as Southwest is frantically trying to hire thousands, 20% of those thousands. simply don’t show up on their first day of work.

But wait, I hear you cry, didn’t the actual workers there just agree to a new contract?

That was the news in March. Customer service staff said (expected) yes to a new four-year contract.

Stability, especially of the workforce, is paramount to a modern airline. However, you already have the feeling that I am bringing you bad news. Headers can do that.

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You see, it looks like those same customer service reps said (unequivocally) no to the deal their union negotiated.

Like Dallas Morning News reportEveryone is confused. Who doesn’t want a raise, bonuses and overtime protection?

And when I say “everyone is confused,” neither the company nor the workers’ union seem to be clear on what’s going on. Especially when travelers are hungry for customer service and really don’t get much service from current airlines.

I’m afraid some people might want a hint as to the reason for the sudden contract rejection. Inflation is rampant. The increase is 6%. What good if inflation is raging at 8% or 9%?

Furthermore, if you know your employer still has 1,000 fewer customer service reps than they need, wouldn’t you want to hold out a little longer?

Also: Southwest Airlines has made a big decision that will annoy customers who need a break

However, there is another aspect that may be important here. When your entire brand is based on a sense of customer service, when you present yourself as a caring substitute – which is quite good for an airline – your need for people to fulfill that promise is very big.

At some point, perhaps those people realize how much you need them. And that’s when they made their point.

And that’s when it can really cost you.