ANA 787 batteries
6th February 2013
Southwest Airlines pilots are to vote on going on strike after a computer system failure and winter storms saw the carrier cancel almost 17,000 flights in late December.
Casey Murray, president of the union representing the carrier's pilots, announced the "historic action" on January 18. The call, the union said, came "in the wake of Southwest’s largest meltdown and the utter lack of meaningful progress on a contract negotiation, with scheduling work rules and information technology asks in particular, that has been ongoing for more than three years".
The vote is to take place on May 1, a workers' holiday in many countries. “It is not a decision we have taken lightly, but given the trajectory of our current leadership group, we have little faith in the stability and future of our airline," said Murray, who heads the Southwest Airlines Pilots Association (SWAPA).
The announcement came as Southwest chief Bob Jordan wrote to customers to apologise for the cancellations and to say the carrier had hired a consultancy to look into the matter.
On January 13, the carrier said it had agreed new contract terms with mechanics and flight instructors.