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  • 2022-12-27 (xsd:date)
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  • Did a Southwest Airlines Pilot Post on Facebook, 'Southwest Airlines Has Imploded'? (en)
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  • On Dec. 26, 2022, Facebook users began to copy and paste three paragraphs that users claimed were written by a pilot for Southwest Airlines. I don't know what to say. Southwest Airlines has imploded, the beginning of the purported pilot's post read. The post was shared by users following a winter storm that pummeled the U.S. with snow, as many travelers were trying to visit family and friends for the Christmas holiday. The Associated Press (AP) reported that major U.S. airlines were impacted with canceled flights, but that only Southwest Airlines was having significant difficulties in attempting to recover by Dec. 27. The question here with this fact check was not whether Southwest Airlines was having major issues following the winter storm. We know from the thousands of reported canceled flights that this was true. Rather, the question was if the Facebook post truly was originally written by a pilot for the company. As of this writing, we hadn't yet found evidence that the three paragraphs were written by one of the company's pilots. This doesn't mean that a pilot didn't write the post. Rather, it simply meant we hadn't yet uncovered data to support the claim that says a pilot penned the message. If any of our users locate helpful information about the origins of this viral post, which might be hidden away in a private Facebook group that's inaccessible to the public, feel free to contact us and include links and screenshots. The viral Facebook post that was said to have come from a Southwest Airlines pilot began with several different introductions, depending on who shared it. Copied from another group I'm a part of, one user posted. From a travel group, another post said. We found another user who reposted the viral message who had edited the post to say, Sorry, y'all but I will not say who my source is. One version of the copypasta post shared by several users began with an introduction paragraph that was followed by the main three paragraphs. That opening paragraph started with, My friend's husband is a pilot with Southwest. Here's that post in full: As previously mentioned, we're still looking for the origins of this Facebook post. The reporting from The AP from Dec. 27 said that Southwest Airlines' issues after the storm were apparently so different from other airlines that officials with the U.S. Department of Transportation were investigating: The AP went on to say that Southwest Airlines had canceled at least 2,549 flights as of the middle of the day on Dec. 27. Axios also previously reported that the company had canceled some 8,000 flights in the previous five days. This meant that Southwest Airlines had canceled more than 10,000 flights in less than one week. On the Southwest Airlines Newsroom section of its website, the company apologized for the flight delays and cancellations. In a statement published on Dec. 26, it acknowledged that it would make things right for both customers and employees: This story will be updated if further details come to light. (en)
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