Southwest Airlines has another frightening midair incident

nypost.com ^ | May 14, 2018 | Chris Perez

[BwanaNdege]

They were doing most of their major repairs in El Salvador but supposedly ended that arrangement at the end of 2017.

A claim that outrageous requires documentation.

El Salvador doing aircraft maintenance? Seriously?

[irishjuggler]

Your wish is my command:

The U.S. Department of Transportation’s Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) proposes a $325,000 civil penalty against Southwest Airlines of Dallas, Texas, for allegedly operating a Boeing 737 that was not in compliance with Federal Aviation Regulations. On July 9, 2014, an FAA inspector performed an aging aircraft inspection on the Boeing 737 while it was at a maintenance facility in San Salvador, El Salvador. The inspector discovered that Southwest improperly recorded a temporary repair to an approximately nine-inch crease in the aluminum skin of the jetliner’s rear cargo door as a permanent repair.

https://www.faa.gov/news/press_releases/news_story.cfm?newsId=19334

Southwest last year ended its arrangement to outsource a chunk of aircraft maintenance to facilities in San Salvador, where major aircraft overhauls were handled at least as far back as 2009. Seham and AMFA executives were not told why Southwest pulled out of San Salvador. Information provided to the Chicago Business Journal shows that one maintenance facility at the El Salvador International Airport had 136 certified mechanics and 2,231 mechanics who were not certified. It could not be immediately determined if this facility was used by Southwest before the carrier pulled out of San Salvador last year.

https://www.bizjournals.com/chicago/news/2018/04/20/southwest-airlines-should-have-inspected-engines.html

[cgbg]

Yup Southwest is the best of the bunch as far as I’m concerned and often has the lowest prices. Also they only fly 737s not some of the awful puddle jumpers I’ve been stuck on on other airlines

Your post is probably accurate--but a commentary on the godawful state of the airline industry today.

I hate flying---anywhere with any airline.

Years ago I actually looked forward to it.

[KC Burke]

On other airlines I have blown off a runway in a blizzard, had a take-off near miss climbing out (most susceptible), had a 12 hour trip turn into 47 hours, lost luggage, had lots of flights canceled out from under me, been stranded at a connecting airport overnight, and all sorts of stuff.

Probably over 2,000 legs on SW and one blown tire on landing that we didn’t even feel and once we were canceled in a blizzard and an airport was closed.