enx magazine

The Federal Aviation Administration said recently it would fine Southwest Airlines Co. $10.2 million for safety violations that included knowingly flying more than three dozen jets without mandatory inspections for structural damage.

The fine would be the largest ever levied against an airline, the FAA said.

As a frequent Southwest passenger (it is one of my favorite U.S. airlines) I was shocked, disappointed and frankly, concerned when this news came out. I trusted Southwest Airlines.

When Southwest belatedly conducted the inspections, it found cracks in the bodies of six Boeing 737-300s, with the largest measuring 4 inches. Serious fractures can depressurize an aircraft and in 1988 caused an Aloha Airlines jet to rip apart, killing a flight attendant.

How does Southwest recover from this?

How have other businesses regained customer trust after something went terribly wrong?

Dangerous Decision

They kept flying - even after Southwest reported its failure to make the scheduled inspections.

"That decision could have jeopardized people's lives," said G. Frederick Mirgle, chairman of the department of aviation maintenance science at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University.

He noted that Southwest has never had a passenger fatality from an accident. "That does not negate the fact that this could have created one."

Three Other Companies That Have Lost Customer Trust

* Menu Foods - the manufacturer of wet dog and cat food sold by the millions under private-label brands at major stores such as PETCO and Walmart - has been trying to recover since the discovery that some of their wet cat and dog food was produced with adulterated wheat gluten. Multitudes of illnesses and deaths of beloved family pets are being attributed to this situation.

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