Southwest Airlines makes major change to aircraft safety tech just as another plane crashes

Daily Mail​

7 hours ago

Cars beep before a crash. Now, some of America's planes do too.
Southwest, the nation's largest budget airline, has partnered with Honeywell, an airline technology firm.
The partnership adds a suite of new safety alerts to most of Southwest's 800 Boeing 737 jets after a string of alarming incidents at international airports.
'It is a really powerful tool, we believe, to add more barriers to potentially bad outcomes,' Andrew Watterson, the airline's chief operating officer, told the Wall Street Journal.
Honeywell's system issues alerts when pilots veer toward other planes or the wrong runway. It also pings the plane's controllers if the aircraft is going too fast, descending too quickly, or if the runway is unusually short.
Southwest started launching the safety tech in its planes at the beginning of 2024, and Watterson said the tool is now active in nearly all of the company's jets.
In an emailed statement to DailyMail.com, he said the new tech 'provides our pilots with enhanced situational awareness to ensure the highest level of safety.'
The safety updates come as America's aviation industry has been tarred by a series of front-page stories, making consumers question the safety in the skies.
Newark International Airport experienced a series of temporary outages for air traffic controllers. Airlines have reported terrifying near-misses. Multiple planes have crashed this year.
In India last week, a Boeing-produced jet crashed briefly after taking off. So far, the crash has killed 279 people.
The wave of incidents has shaken Americans' confidence in flying. A February AP-NORC poll found that only 64 percent of Americans thought flying was 'safe or somewhat safe.'
That was a 7 percent decrease from last year.
'Today's pilots face increasing challenges, including unpredictable weather and dense traffic in limited airspace, forcing them to make split-second decisions during takeoff and landing,' Honeywell's president and CEO, Jim Currier, said.
'Fortunately, as the challenges evolve, so does the technology that provides the information they need in real time.'
Airlines have been launching more safety backstops in response to slumping confidence: Boeing and Airbus are building redundant safety systems into their new planes. At the same time, Alaska Airlines has already introduced the same Honeywell tech on its jets.
But the headlines have created a brutal storm for Airline CEOs, who largely swear that America's skies have remained safe.
Southwest's CEO, Bob Jordan, recently announced a series of controversial moves for the budget airliner
Despite the assurances, Americans are choosing to fly less, forcing companies to cut back on their domestic portfolios.
In April, Southwest announced it was slashing US flights after noticing a downturn in interstate ticket sales.
United Airlines also cut domestic flights from its portfolio after seeing a skid, while reporting a five percent uptick in international flights. Air Canada also said it was cutting US-destined flights.
For Southwest, the slowdown in American ticket sales comes amid massive change for the brand.
Last year, the company announced it would cut two of its most popular and unique programs: open seating and free checked bags.
The changes, which are primarily attributed to the company's activist investor, Elliott Investment Management, have ruffled customers' feathers while increasing Southwest's stock performance.
'Every company is focused on the bottom line,' Eric Wein, a California-based communications executive, told DailyMail.com about the company's switch away from free bags.
'But it's surprising that Southwest seemed to have lost sight of its customer loyalty and brand appeal in making some of these rather necessary financial moves.'
The airliner's share price is up 13 percent in the past year.