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Southwest Airlines Giving Employees Who Worked Through Holiday Travel Snafu a Bonus
Source: AP
Southwest Airlines is giving some of its weary employees who worked through the holiday travel meltdown a “gratitude pay” bonus.
According to FOX4, the Dallas-based airline will pay its pilots roughly $45 million in “gratitude pay” and other employees, including flight attendants, will also receive a bonus.
“At the behest of TWU Local 556, Southwest Airlines agreed to offer flight attendants working during the company’s operational failures a small stipend in addition to their pay,” said Lyn Montgomery, president of a union representing Southwest flight attendants said in a statement reported by CNN. “Although this is a nice gesture, it does not make up for the challenges and mishaps that flight attendants endured.”
The debacle, which happened last month, saw Southwest cancel thousands of flights following a winter storm that FOX reports caused problems for its scheduling software. Many passengers had flights canceled or delayed which caused luggage issues on top of everything else.
Southwest is now refunding and reimbursing passengers inconvenienced by flight cancellations and delays.
