Southwest Airlines faces $3.92 million fine from FAA for miscalculating aircraft weights

The Federal Aviation Administration says Southwest Airlines should pay a $3.92 million penalty for errors it made calculating the weight of dozens of planes in 2018.

Southwest Airlines spokesman Brian Parrish said the proposed fine is for “data processing issues that occurred while transferring aircraft weight information from one Southwest computer system to other computer systems.”

The fine, which Dallas-based Southwest can appeal, comes after a yearlong investigation into the way the airline counts bags and loads them onto planes.

The FAA says Southwest Airlines flew 44 planes and a total of 21,505 flights using the system in question between May 1, 2018, and Aug. 9, 2018.

“This weight-related information is used along with other data in determining how many passengers and how much fuel can be safely carried, as well as where cargo must be located,” the FAA said in a statement.

“Since discovering the data discrepancy in 2018, in coordination with the FAA, Southwest has enhanced its weight and balance program by implementing additional controls to strengthen the process of managing aircraft weight data in our systems,” Parrish said in a statement. “We continue to monitor the performance of our weight and balance program closely to support our unwavering commitment to safety, compliance and continuous improvement.”

Southwest flies with a total fleet of about 750 planes.

Dallas-based Southwest Airlines told The Associated Press that it voluntarily reported the issue to federal safety officials last year, and isn’t facing any enforcement action.

The data processing error pertained to incorrect weights for empty aircraft and not for luggage loading practices, Parrish said.

Unlike other airlines, Southwest has historically counted luggage manually on the tarmac and used average weights collected during check-in to load the plane. Other airlines weigh luggage as they load their planes.

Airlines carefully calculate how much planes weigh and how they are balanced to help pilots fly, ensure proper handling and figure out how much fuel is necessary for a flight.

In June, the FAA reassigned three managers in charge of the investigation into Southwest’s luggage loading practices. The Wall Street Journal reported that the managers, who worked in a regional office near Southwest Airlines’ headquarters, were reassigned for retaliating against safety inspectors who reported the issue. www.dallasnews.com