Southwest Issues Continue At Denver International Airport
DENVER (CBS4)- Southwest Airlines continues to experience delays due to maintenance issues that are affecting passengers out of Denver International Airport. The airline has experienced more cancellations and delays since last Friday than any other U.S. airline.
In all, more than 40 planes a day have been out of service for Southwest. That's more than double the usual average and about five percent of Southwest's estimated 750 airplane fleet.
At one point on Wednesday morning, nine flights were cancelled out of DIA. That included Baltimore, La Guardia and Newark. At last check, some flights had been rescheduled and many more had departed on time from DIA.
Southwest's COO appears to blame the Aircraft Mechanics Fraternal Association for the unusually high number of out-of-service aircraft.
"AMFA has a history of work disruptions, and Southwest has two pending lawsuits against the union. We will be investigating this current disruption and exploring all possible remedies," said Southwest COO Mike Van de Ven.
In response, the union says the airline was using the association as a scapegoat and is trying to divert attention away from safety issues.