Unsupported 'sickout' claims take flight amid Southwest woes
https://apnews.com/article/unsuported-sickout-claims-southwest-airlines-4a85a5b314b0627311bceea028109d2a
By DAVID KOENIG and ALI SWENSON
DALLAS (AP) When Southwest Airlines canceled more than 2,000 flights over the weekend, citing bad weather and air traffic control issues, unsupported claims blaming vaccine mandates began taking off.
Conservative politicians and pundits, including Republican Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas, alleged the flight disruptions resulted from pilots and air traffic controllers walking off their jobs or calling in sick to protest federal vaccination requirements.
The airline, its pilots union and the Federal Aviation Administration denied that.
The weekend challenges were not a result of Southwest employee demonstrations, Southwest spokesman Chris Mainz said Monday.
FULL story at link above.
Southwest passengers wait to check in at Miami International Airport, Tuesday, Oct. 12, 2021, in Miami. Southwest Airlines appears to be fixing problems that caused the cancellation of nearly 2,400 flights over the previous three days. By midday Tuesday, Southwest had canceled fewer than 100 flights, although more than 400 others were running late. (AP Photo/Marta Lavandier)