Avoiding Southwest After Its Fatal Accident? You're Not Alone

Contributing Editor Carl Unger believes that every trip is worth taking. He loves an extended trip to Europe as much as he enjoys exploring the towns and landscape near home. Basically, you'll find him wherever there is good food, fresh air, and plenty of stories to bring home.

Carl has been writing for SmarterTravel since 2005. His travel writing has also appeared on USA Today and the About.com Boston travel guide.

The Handy Item I Always Pack: "It's not revolutionary, but a small Moleskine notebook is my one travel must-have. It's great for noting things you want to remember and it takes up hardly any space in your bag."

Ultimate Bucket List Experience: "Japan. I'd love to take a month off and visit the cities, temples, and countryside. I'm fascinated by the country's juxtaposition of ancient traditions and modern ambitions."

Travel Motto: “Why do you go away? So that you can come back. So that you can see the place you came from with new eyes and extra colors. And the people there see you differently, too. Coming back to where you started is not the same as never leaving.” –Terry Pratchett

Aisle, Window, or Middle Seat: "Window."

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Bookings at Southwest are way down following a fatal accident this past April. The airline announced Monday that it expects revenue per available seat mile (RASM) to fall about three percent in the current quarter. Basically, RASM goes down when more seats are empty. The airline previously estimated that this number would go down by between one and three percent—suggesting April’s incident is on travelers’ minds.

But in a filing with the SEC, Southwest blames reduced advertising for the change, saying the decrease is “primarily driven by lower bookings largely due to reduced marketing efforts following the Flight 1380 accident.”

In that incident, a engine fan blade broke off and shattered a window, killing the woman onboard. It is customary for airlines to cut back on advertising following an accident.

But while the April 17 incident and subsequent marketing freeze undoubtedly played major roles in this decline, it’s not as if they are the only factors possibly at play. Southwest experienced two additional, publicized safety issues this spring: Another cracked window that required an unplanned landing, and a pressurization event that also required an abrupt landing.

Long story short, it was a spring of struggles for Southwest, and it seems passengers are hesitant to get back onboard. It’s difficult to see this trend lasting because, well, this is Southwest we’re talking about—one of America’s most trusted airlines. That’s what makes this series of events interesting.

Southwest has a fairly clean safety record, and the April fatality was the first in the airline’s history. But trust is a fickle thing, and should be when it comes to air travel. It’s understandable if some passengers are taking time to be sure these incidents are just a blip on the proverbial radar.

Readers, what about you? Southwest has always been popular with the SmarterTravel community: Has this recent spate of safety issues caused you to hold off booking with Southwest?

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