Unions want Southwest CEO removed after IT outage

Two of Southwest Airlines’ biggest unions are calling on the carrier’s CEO to step down in the wake of a technology glitch forced the multi-day disruption of thousands of flights last month.

The unions representing Southwest’s pilots and mechanics issued the call on Monday. The Associated Press reports the unions argue management is too focused on Wall Street performance and not on updating the airline’s antiquated reservations technology.

Southwest Airlines says it's back to a normal schedule

The pilots' union said that its board voted 20-0 in favor of asking for the removal of CEO Gary Kelly and chief operating officer Mike Van de Ven. The mechanics' union chief told AP that the July tech snafu was "the final straw" after ongoing frustrations regarding contract negotiations and other matters important to the union.

Southwest has blamed a router failure for starting a cascading technology glitch on July 20 that knocked reservations systems offline and took several days to fully resolve. It wasn't until July 25 that Southwest said it was back to a near-normal operation, something that came after more than 2,300 cancellations -- about 12% of its schedule over the period. Flight-tracking service estimated nearly 8,000 flights arrived late.

Customers took to social media with tales -- and photos -- of long lines and grounded flights.

"As tenured employees and frontline leaders of this company, we can no longer sit idly by and watch poor decision after poor decision deeply affect our customers and Southwest Airlines,” Capt. Jon Weaks, president of the Southwest Airlines Pilots' Association (SWAPA), says in a statement.

Weaks cited “years of operational deficiencies, unprecedented labor strife, and continued culture erosion at the company” in calling for the “no confidence” vote.

“We believe that a change is needed for the best interests of Southwest Airlines and the loyal customers we serve,” Weaks adds in the statement. “Therefore, we encourage, effective immediately, their replacement in order to secure a more stable, sustainable, and profitable future for our Company, our customers, and employees.”

Southwest pushed back, saying the unions had ulterior motives.

"This latest move by the new Leaders of the Southwest Airlines Pilots’ Association is designed to pressure the Company to meet its demands," Randy Babbitt, Southwest's senior vice president for labor relations, says in a statement to Today in the Sky. "Their maneuvering is not about our Leaders. It’s not about 'IT infrastructure.' This is about the Union’s approach to contract discussions and its attempt to gain leverage in negotiations."

Babbitt defended the Southwest and its management team for an operation that generally rates well among U.S. carriers.

"The state of our company demonstrates the excellence of our leaders," Babbit adds in the statement. "It is routinely recognized in every notable forum for its achievements in all areas -- financially, operationally, and culturally. SWAPA Leaders should understand that we want to work with them, not against them. As soon as they take a similar approach, we'll be closer to finalizing a contract for our Pilots that rewards them for their service and professionalism."