- Southwest Airlines cancelled more than 1,000 flights Sunday, and 808 Saturday
- The Dallas-based airline blamed traffic control and weather for the nixed flights
- It is demanding its employees be fully vaccinated by December 8, but a union representing nearly 10,000 pilots is trying to block the order in court
- Some passengers say they believe a pilot strike wreaked havoc with travel plans
- The airline’s pilots union denied its members were participating in any kind of industrial action
Southwest Airlines has been hit by a second day of mass-flight cancellations, two days after the firm’s pilots’ union asked a court to block a COVID vaccine mandate.
The Dallas-based carrier canceled over 1,000 flights Sunday, equivalent to 27 per cent of its entire schedule for the day.
That came hot on the heels of 808 flights canceled on Saturday. Southwest has blamed a combination of inclement weather and staffing shortages at Jacksonville Air Traffic Control Center in Florida for the disruption.
But social media users have cited a Friday court filing by the airline’s pilots union, the Southwest Airlines Pilots Association, as evidence of a different cause.
That filing sought to block pilots from having to have a COVID-19 vaccine, with Southwest setting an October 4 vaccine requirement.
It is federally-required to vaccinate its employees as a holder of US government contracts.
But the Southwest pilots’ union lawsuit says the rule ‘unlawfully imposes new conditions of employment and the new policy threatens termination of any pilot not fully vaccinated by December 8, 2021.’
That suit adds that Southwests’ proposed policy is a violation of the Railway Labor Act.
A spokesman for the pilots union – which represents 9,000 of Southwest’s 10,000 pilots – says it was not aware of any industrial action underway.
Jacksonville Airport staff said the shortages with its staff were not related to vaccine mandates.
Passengers took to Twitter to speculate over the vaccine lawsuit after rivals axed far fewer flights; American Airlines cancelled 63 flights Sunday, while United cancelled nine trips.
‘This has nothing to do with weather,’ said one Twitter user. ‘Thanks for ruining our week with our grandkids.
‘At least admit it was due to selfish pilots.’
The Southwest Airline Pilots Association (SWAPA) is trying to block the airline from participating in a federally-mandated vaccine directive that requires employees to be fully inoculated by December 8.
The association, which represents nearly 10,000 pilots, in a court filing demanded the airline ‘cease and desist’ the mandate rollout without first reaching an agreement with the union.
Southwest is blaming the cancellations on air traffic control and weather issues, but some passengers aren’t buying it.
‘Why lie about the issues of canceled flights?’ Michelle Harbort tweeted.
‘It’s not due to weather and ATC issues!!! People are not getting vaccinated so your employees are walking off the job!! Thankfully my husband and I got another flight to our destination.
‘Please don’t lie, that’s what made me mad today.’
Nora Kennedy, who said she was stranded at Orlando International for days, posted a photo of the airport’s departure board, which indicated a disproportionate amount of Southwest flights being affected.
‘Strange how the ATC issues and weather are still only affecting your airline at MCO,’ she tweeted. ‘Must be some crazy storms if they’re only targeting your planes.’