Southwest Airlines is considering fourth-quarter schedule changes after labor unions repeatedly complained about exhaustion during a surge in travel this summer, according to a company memo on Friday.
“First, we are continuing to evaluate our fourth quarter flight schedules, and we’re taking a serious look at flight levels to ensure that our flying aligns with the staffing needed to operate within this more complicated COVID environment,” COO Mike Van de Ven said in a note to staff, which was reviewed by CNBC “We will not be following our traditional staffing models as we reevaluate where we are in October, November, and December, he wrote. “You come first.”
Southwest declined to comment further.
Earlier this week, Spirit Airlines said it would trim some of its schedule for the rest of the third quarter after more than 2,800 cancellations cost the company some $50 million.