Southwest Airlines Allegedly Cut Corners, Pilots Struggled to Get Planes to Take Off
Southwest Airlines allegedly jeopardized the safety of thousands of flights by forcing its pilots to fly beyond the limits of safety recommended by Boeing for operating the airline’s fleet of 737 aircraft.
This charge is in a new report made by a Senate committee as part of a scathing indictment of the Federal Aviation Administration’s oversight of the safety of America’s airline passengers. The committee is chaired by Senator Roger Wicker, Republican, of Mississippi.
Serious safety concerns about Southwest’s operating methods originated with a whistleblower, a veteran former Naval pilot, Jeffrey Rees, who served as one of the FAA’s safety inspectors at the airline’s Texas base.