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☆ Analysis: Southwest got billions of dollars in taxpayer aid. Why is its service still a mess?
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-28 | by ( Alicia Wallace | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +10 min

Southwest Airlines received more than $7 billion from that program. However, analysts say, Southwest’s service meltdown is unrelated to the taxpayer assistance the airline received in 2020. Cancelled Southwest Airlines flights are seen on the flight schedules at LaGuardia Airport, Tuesday, Dec. 27, 2022, in New York. In April 2020, airline passenger traffic plummeted 96% and stayed 60% below 2019 levels in 2020, according to the US Government Accountability Office. “The problems at Southwest Airlines over the last several days go beyond weather,” she said in a statement.

☆ Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg reminds Southwest Airlines CEO that thousands of stranded travelers are entitled to meal and hotel vouchers
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-28 | by ( Hannah Getahun | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

The US Department of Transportation is getting involved with the Southwest Airlines delays. Pete Buttigieg met with the CEO of Southwest airlines, as well as union leaders, on Tuesday. Southwest Airlines canceled thousands of flights following the holiday weekend as a result of the historic winter storm that has taken hold across the nation. "USDOT is concerned by Southwest's unacceptable rate of cancellations and delays & reports of lack of prompt customer service," a statement read. "The Department will examine whether cancellations were controllable and if Southwest is complying with its customer service plan."

☆ Southwest flight upheaval a 'system failure,' U.S. says
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-28 | by ( Kanishka Singh | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

WASHINGTON, Dec 28 (Reuters) - U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg said that large-scale flight schedule disruptions at Southwest Airlines (LUV.N) were no longer a weather-driven issue and represented a system failure within the company. The rest of the aviation system and other airlines seemed to be back from the weather disruptions, Buttigieg said. More than 2,500 Southwest Airlines flights were canceled as of Wednesday morning, according to the flight tracking website FlightAware. REUTERS/Michael A. McCoy 1 2 3Delta Air Lines (DAL.N) said in an email it had capped fares in all markets where Southwest operates, including domestic and international markets. Southwest told Reuters that it would reimburse customers for travel-related costs and that it had already processed thousands of requests by Tuesday.

☆ 'Never flying Southwest again': Stranded and frustrated customers scramble to find flights and alternative travel
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-27 | by ( Antonio Planas | Antonio Planas Is A Breaking News Reporter For Nbc News Digital. | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +6 min

Most Southwest Airlines flights aren't going anywhere, but frustration levels for scores of travelers across the country are soaring. In the post-Christmas rush and severe winter storm chaos, the Dallas-based airline canceled nearly two-thirds of its flights Tuesday and said that the disruptions likely won't be over for several days. More than 3,500 flights scheduled to leave Wednesday have already been canceled, with Southwest constituting about 70% of those cancellations, according to FlightAware. He said he couldn't find another seat on a Southwest flight to Dallas until Monday. But unlike some Southwest customers, she has loved ones she can lean on for accommodations.

At a news conference in Houston, Southwest spokesman Jay McVay said cancellations snowballed as storm systems moved across the country, leaving flight crews and planes out of place. In normal times, this can allow Southwest to operate more flights over a given 24-hour period than other carriers, said Scott Meyerowitz, executive editor of The Points Guy travel site. Casey Murray, president of the Southwest Airlines Pilots Association, said Southwest had not adequately prepared flights for the storm, which hampered ground transportation and maintenance vehicles. Adding to the difficulty: Large swaths of Southwest crews remain in contract negotiations with the carrier. Southwest Airlines did not immediately respond to questions about ongoing contract negotiations with its crews.

☆ Frustrated Southwest pilot and union rep says the airline's flight meltdown was caused by outdated scheduling software
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-27 | by ( Taylor Rains | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Southwest Airlines has canceled nearly 2,600 flights so far on Tuesday after canceling over 2,900 on Monday. For example, he explained one flight had two pilots and three flight attendants assigned to a flight but needed one more flight attendant for the plane to legally fly. There were several deadheading flight attendants onboard, meaning they were being flown to another city for an assignment but were "ready, willing, and able to work" that flight as well. "Even though we had a crew available, [scheduling] had no idea those flight attendants were in the back of the airplane." The latter's systems failed to keep up because flight attendants use a system largely reliant on phone lines, Montgomery told KHOU.

☆ U.S. to examine Southwest Airlines cancellations, calls 'unacceptable'
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-27 | by ( David Shepardson | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Dec 26 (Reuters) - The U.S. Transportation Department (USDOT) said late on Monday it would examine the large number of Southwest Airlines (LUV.N) cancelled and delayed flights in recent days to determine if they were in the airline's control, calling them "unacceptable." "USDOT is concerned by Southwest Airlines’ disproportionate and unacceptable rate of cancellations and delays as well as the failure to properly support customers experiencing a cancellation or delay," the department said. It said it would "closely examine whether cancellations were controllable and whether Southwest is complying with its customer service plan as well as all other pertinent DOT rules." Southwest delayed 48% of flights on Sunday and 16% on Monday. Other major U.S. airlines suffered significant cancellations in recent days but not nearly at as high rates as Southwest and they have now largely recovered.

☆ The Investing Club's top 5 things to watch in the market Tuesday: Stocks edge up, China, Tesla
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-27 | by ( Jeff Marks | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

As a subscriber to the CNBC Investing Club with Jim Cramer, you will receive a trade alert before Jim makes a trade. Jim waits 45 minutes after sending a trade alert before buying or selling a stock in his charitable trust's portfolio. If Jim has talked about a stock on CNBC TV, he waits 72 hours after issuing the trade alert before executing the trade. THE ABOVE INVESTING CLUB INFORMATION IS SUBJECT TO OUR TERMS AND CONDITIONS AND PRIVACY POLICY , TOGETHER WITH OUR DISCLAIMER . NO FIDUCIARY OBLIGATION OR DUTY EXISTS, OR IS CREATED, BY VIRTUE OF YOUR RECEIPT OF ANY INFORMATION PROVIDED IN CONNECTION WITH THE INVESTING CLUB.

☆ How to get reimbursed for hotels and alternative transportation if your Southwest flight was canceled
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-27 | by ( Taylor Rains | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Between Wednesday and Monday, the Dallas-based carrier canceled 8,305 flights, amounting to 36% of its operation, according to FlightAware data. On Monday alone, Southwest canceled 74% of its operation and it is struggling to get back on track with 63% of flights already canceled as of 11:00 a.m on Tuesday. For comparison, the US' second-worst offender between Wednesday and Monday was Delta Air Lines with 1,865 flights canceled, which was 12% of its operation, according to FlightAware. Email Southwest for reimbursementJonathan Weiss/ShutterstockIn some cases, travelers will decide to receive a refund for a canceled flight and rebook their own transportation, like a flight on a different carrier, a rental car, or a train. Contact your credit card issuerDavid Slotnick/Business InsiderTravelers should also check if their credit card comes with trip insurance.

☆ Hundreds more flights are canceled, but winter storm travel disruptions are easing
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-26 | by ( Leslie Josephs | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +4 min

Flight cancellations eased further on Monday but disruptions from severe winter weather across the U.S. lingered at the tail end of Christmas weekend. From Wednesday through Saturday, about a quarter of Southwest’s flights were canceled, and two-thirds were delayed, according to FlightAware data. On Monday, more than 1,700 flights were canceled and 2,200 more were delayed, down from nearly 3,200 canceled flights and 7,700 delayed U.S. flights on Sunday. Delta Air Lines, American Airlines, United Airlines, JetBlue Airways and Alaska Airlines were among the other carriers affected by the weather. More than half of U.S.-based airlines’ flights arrived late from Thursday through Saturday, with delays averaging 81 minutes, according to FlightAware.

☆ Airlines cancel 17,000 flights due to severe winter weather but disruptions ease
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-26 | by ( Leslie Josephs | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Flight cancellations eased further on Monday but disruptions from severe winter weather across the U.S. lingered at the tail end of Christmas weekend. Carriers are likely to detail the costs of the disruptions when they report results next month, if not earlier. Southwest had been canceling many flights proactively in an effort to stabilize its operation, COO Andrew Watterson said. From Wednesday through Saturday, about a quarter of Southwest's flights were canceled, and two-thirds were delayed, according to FlightAware data. Airlines often cancel flights proactively during bad weather to avoid having planes, crews and customers out of place, problems that can make recovery from a storm more difficult.

Carl Icahn had a textbook strategy for the Nevada-based energy utility Southwest Gas Holdings. In August, Southwest Gas' board decided against a divestiture, and the sale of subsidiaries that Icahn had urged remains uncertain. "Shareholders don't want to hear it, but you really have great difficulty selling a company at a good price today," the widely followed activist investor Icahn told Insider. via CNBCBut, like Icahn in the case of Southwest Gas, participants in this new onslaught may find themselves confounded by an increasingly complex and fraught business environment. According to Lazard, 37% of activist campaigns this year were launched by first-timers, the highest proportion since the company started tracking these figures in 2015.

Carl Icahn had a textbook strategy for the Nevada-based energy utility Southwest Gas Holdings. In August, Southwest Gas' board decided against a divestiture, and the sale of subsidiaries that Icahn had urged remains uncertain. That means that the sale of companies like Southwest Gas is off the table for the time being — or will get done at prices far lower than before. via CNBCBut, like Icahn in the case of Southwest Gas, participants in this new onslaught may find themselves confounded by an increasingly complex and fraught business environment. According to Lazard, 37% of activist campaigns this year were launched by first-timers, the highest proportion since the company started tracking these figures in 2015.

As many as 11 million people from California to Wisconsin are under winter weather advisories Monday due to a massive storm that has already dumped up to 4 feet of snow across the Sierra Nevada. The storm, expected to bring both snow and severe weather, is making its way into the Rockies and the northern Plains on Monday, where blizzard-like conditions are expected. Up to a foot of snow is expected to hit the Rockies, with winds gusting up to 50 mph. The risk for severe weather Monday is centered around southwest Kansas and the Oklahoma panhandle, where damaging winds up to 60 mph, large hail and a few tornadoes are possible. By Wednesday, the threat will shift east, where residents of New Orleans to the Florida panhandle are at risk for damaging winds, large hail and a few tornadoes.

Chief Executive Officer Bob Jordan said the reinstatement reflects "the strong return in demand for air travel" as well as Southwest's "solid" operating and financial performance since March. While mounting economic worries have clouded the outlook for consumer spending, the Dallas-based carrier said it has seen no signs of a slowdown in travel demand. It expects strong leisure revenue trends to continue into the first quarter of next year. Southwest will pay a quarterly dividend of 18 cents per share to shareholders on Jan. 31. "With more than two-thirds of its labor contracts still open,...reinstating dividends just illustrates how far Southwest has veered from its path," said Southwest Airlines Pilots Association President Casey Murray.

☆ Stocks making the biggest moves midday: Carvana, MongoDB, TripAdvisor, Toll Brothers and more
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-07 | by ( Sarah Min | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

MongoDB — The database platform surged almost 22% following the company's quarterly results. State Street — Shares of the asset manager jumped more than 8% after the company announced a new buyback plan. Toll Brothers — Shares of the luxury homebuilder rose 7% after the company reported quarterly results. Chinese tech stocks — Shares of U.S. listed China stocks declined even as Beijing announced it will lift some Covid restrictions. Airlines — Airline stocks fell as a group during midday trading.

☆ Video shows the rescue of an overboard cruise-ship passenger who survived 20 hours fighting jellyfish and eating bamboo
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-05 | by ( Morgan Mcfall-Johnsen | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

James Michael Grimes, age 28, survived nearly 20 hours treading water in the Gulf of Mexico. "My worst fear is drowning," Grimes told ABC. The Coast Guard shared video of the rescue, below, including footage of Grimes floundering in the sea and waving his arms. At 2:30 p.m., the ship reported the missing passenger to the Coast Guard. The Coast Guard said it deployed "several rescue crews," and Carnival said the Valor "retraced its route to support the search and rescue."

☆ After a slow start, the 2022 hurricane season roared in with memorable and destructive storms
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-30 | by ( Jennifer Gray | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

CNN —As the hurricane season closes, a handful of blockbuster storms made history after an eerily quiet first half of the season gave false hope. In fact, we didn’t have any named storms from July 3 to August 31, the first time that’s occurred since 1941. One of those storms was Hurricane Ian, which hit land in late September and will go down as the most memorable storm of the 2022 season. “Tropical storms have formed in every month outside of hurricane season, and there have been a few hurricanes, too,” NOAA said. Historically, we’ve seen at least 15 named storms form in the month of December, even all the way up to December 30.

☆ Video shows the moment a helicopter rescued a cruise-ship passenger who fell overboard and survived up to 22 hours floating in the Gulf of Mexico.
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-26 | by ( Morgan Mcfall-Johnsen | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

A 28-year-old man fell overboard off a Carnival cruise ship and survived 22 hours of treading water. The US Coast Guard rescued him via helicopter Thursday night, calling it a "Thanksgiving miracle." The 28-year-old survived up to 22 hours treading water in the Gulf of Mexico and was responsive when rescued, according to the Coast Guard. The Coast Guard shared video of the rescue, below, including footage of the man floundering in the sea and waving his arms. At 2:30 p.m., the ship reported the missing passenger to the Coast Guard.

☆ I quit my job as a Southwest customer-service rep because I couldn't handle the holidays for another year. It's hell for everyone involved.
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-23 | by ( Katherine Stinson | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

In a statement to Insider, Southwest said its full-time employee count surpassed prepandemic totals. Ironically, Thanksgiving and Christmas Day were among the most peaceful shifts I had as a Southwest customer-service representative. I've worked nearly 10 holiday seasons at SouthwestI quit several weeks before the start of the 2022 holiday season. The thing people forget is that customer-service employees have families, too. In fact, Southwest reached an industry-first milestone over the summer when our total, active, full-time equivalent Employee count surpassed the number of Southwest Employees from pre-pandemic 2019 totals.

☆ Kevin McCarthy calls for Homeland Security Secretary Mayorkas to resign or face impeachment inquiry over 'the collapse of our border'
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-23 | by ( Katherine Tangalakis-Lippert | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Citing conditions at the border, McCarthy said he'd investigate Mayorkas if he doesn't step down. Investigations could lead to Mayorkas' impeachment. McCarthy specifically took aim at the coming end of title Title 42 as cause for concern at the border. As a Biden-appointed cabinet member to the Department of Homeland Security, Mayorkas oversees the country's border policy and counter-terrorism measures. "If Secretary Mayorkas does not resign," McCarthy said in a press conference, "House Republicans will investigate every order, every action and every failure.

☆ 'Easy to bully': A corporate landlord in Cincinnati is aggressive in trying to evict tenants, critics say
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-22 | by ( Gretchen Morgenson | Gretchen Morgenson Is The Senior Financial Reporter For The Nbc News Investigative Unit. A Former Stockbroker | She Won The Pulitzer Prize In For Her | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +13 min

“We had the exact same story and the exact same company — VineBrook Homes,” Allen told NBC News. VineBrook Homes Trust Inc., which owns over 3,000 single-family homes in the Cincinnati area, is one of the most aggressive landlords in bringing eviction proceedings against its residents, they say. A big institutional owner of over 24,000 single-family homes in mostly lower-income areas, VineBrook Homes is a real estate investment trust (REIT) with properties in 18 states, including Alabama, Indiana, Missouri and Mississippi. “I left in Dec. 2021,” Jenkins told NBC News. Vinebrook Homes owns over 3,000 single-family homes in the Cincinnati area, including many in suburbs like North College Hill.

☆ Australians rescued from rooftops as torrential rain ravages rural towns
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-15 | by ( Renju Jose | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Emergency crews deployed more than a dozen helicopters to rescue trapped people from rooftops in the worst-hit towns in New South Wales (NSW) state, officials said. More than 200 flood rescue operations were conducted in the state over the past 24 hours to Tuesday morning, while 24 emergency warnings remained. A damaged road is seen following flooding in the town of Canowindra, in the Central West region of New South Wales, Australia, November 15, 2022. Heavy rain smashed parts of southwest New South Wales and northeast Victoria over the weekend. Flooded highways near several inland towns are hampering rescue operations as emergency services said they were undertaking what would be the biggest flood rescue operations in New South Wales' history.

☆ Florida’s East Coast Braces for Possible Hurricane by Midweek
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-07 | by ( Jon Kamp | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Ron DeSantis told Floridians to be prepared for the possibility of a tropical storm or hurricane later this week. A weather system brewing in the Atlantic Ocean north of Puerto Rico may hit Florida’s east coast as a tropical storm or hurricane later this week, the National Hurricane Center said Sunday. The low-pressure area could become a tropical or subtropical storm by Sunday night or early Monday, the hurricane center said. The system is forecast to approach parts of the Bahamas and coastal Florida at or near hurricane strength on Wednesday and Thursday, about six weeks after Hurricane Ian made landfall and devastated parts of southwest Florida.

☆ Two Florida medical boards advance ban on gender-affirming care for minors
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-04 | by ( Zachary Schermele | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +4 min

Florida’s state medical boards voted Friday afternoon to approve the language of a first-of-its-kind rule banning gender-affirming care for transgender minors who don’t already receive it. The rule updates the medical standards of practice in the state to mostly prohibit health care professionals from starting treatment for gender dysphoria in those younger than 18. Gender dysphoria refers the stress and discomfort some experience when their gender identity doesn’t match their sex assigned at birth. The measure bans the prescription of puberty blockers or hormone therapy to new patients who are minors, and it forbids gender-affirming surgeries. In a statement Friday, Equality Florida said once the rule goes into effect, it will be the only ban in the country of gender-affirming care for minors instituted by a state medical board.

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