Topline
Southwest Airlines CEO Gary Kelly on Tuesday vehemently denied widespread rumors that the mass cancellations of flights at his airline in recent days were caused by an internal protest over its Covid-19 vaccine mandate, saying while controversial, he has found “no evidence” of correlation between the mandate and the disruptions.
Gary Kelly, chief executive officer of Southwest Airlines Co., speaks during an interview in New ... [+]
Key Facts
Speaking with ABC’s “Good Morning America,” Kelly reiterated the company’s explanation from recent days: that the over 2,000 flight cancellations through Monday were the result of a traffic management program imposed by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA).
He said Southwest was more impacted than other airlines because over half of its fleet “touches the state of Florida,” which is where the FAA programs were targeted.
It is typical that it would take “several days” to adjust to these changes, Kelly said, noting that “things are pretty much well back to normal” with only a few more cancellations than usual on Tuesday.
Crucial Quote
Kelly recognized that Southwest’s vaccine mandate is “controversial” and “not anything I would wish for our company.” However, he stressed the order is from the federal government “and we’re doing our best to comply with that according to the deadlines that have been set.”
Key Background
The slew of cancelled flights over the weekend sparked speculation that Southwest’s employees were protesting its fast-approaching November 24 vaccine mandate. The company has been under mounting pressure from the federal government to get its employees vaccinated or risk losing lucrative contracts. And the requirement has already stirred internal opposition, with the pilots union on Friday asking a court to block Southwest from implementing the mandate. However, the Southwest Airlines Pilots Association has also insisted cancellations were not caused by vaccine-related demonstrations. “We can say with confidence that our pilots are not participating in any official or unofficial job actions,” the union said in a statement.
Chief Critics
Nonetheless, Republicans in Congress have been quick to criticize Southwest and side with its employees. Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Tex.) immediately declared the cancellations at the Dallas-based company the result of “Joe Biden’s illegal vaccine mandate at work.” Meanwhile, fellow Texas Republican Rep. Chip Roy called for the airline to be shut down.
Further Reading
“Southwest Cancels More Than 1,000 Flights—Pilots Say It’s Not A Protest Over Covid Vaccine Mandate” (Forbes)
