FAA probes Southwest calculations of baggage weight on jets

Federal officials have told Southwest Airlines to fix the way it calculates the weight of luggage loaded on flights after finding frequent mistakes during a yearlong investigation.

Southwest said Tuesday that it has made improvements in its methods for calculating the weight and balance of loads, and that it isn't facing enforcement action.

The airline said that it voluntarily reported the issue to the Federal Aviation Administration last year.

The FAA investigation was first reported by The Wall Street Journal.

The newspaper said internal FAA documents showed that the airline made frequent mistakes in calculations and luggage-loading practices that could cause errors when pilots compute their plane's takeoff weight.