- Southwest Airlines Flight 554 flew again to New Orleans after placing a fowl on Wednesday.
- The aircraft was close to full capability with 164 passengers onboard as smoke spewed out of its left engine.
- The airline finally secured a brand new aircraft for the affected flyers.
A Southwest Airlines flight made a direct turnaround mid-air after it struck a fowl.
Southwest Airlines Flight 554, en path to Tampa Bay from New Orleans, was struck by a fowl shortly after its departure on Wednesday.
After the fowl hit the aircraft through the flight’s takeoff, the flight was capable of U-turn and land safely again at Louis Armstrong New Orleans National Airport (MSY).
All 164 passengers have been unhurt, and the airline finally secured a brand new aircraft for the flight to Tampa Bay.
A spokesperson for MSY stated the runways have been closed after Flight 554 landed again in New Orleans to permit the crew to ‘clear up particles.’
Southwest Airlines Flight 554, en path to Tampa Bay, was struck by a fowl shortly after its departure on December 20
All 164 passengers have been seemingly unhurt, and the airline secured a brand new plan for the flight to Tampa Bay
The flight acquired a five-hour delay and finally arrived in Florida at 9:36 pm.
Southwest Airlines labored with all passengers whose journey plans have been impacted by the turnaround as soon as they landed.
The subsequent three Southwest Airlines Flight 554 journeys additionally acquired 5 hour delays, its final one arriving in Chicago at 1:28 am.
Southwest Airlines has had a historical past of flight delays and even responded to X (previously Twitter) customers that complained about their late arrivals on different flights.
‘At OHare flying in from Phoenix. It’s not as dangerous as you abandoning me and others right here in Chicago final yr to fend for ourselves for 3-5 days, however it isn’t displaying me that your work has gotten higher,’ an X person wrote on December 19.
The period of time it might’ve taken to get to Tampa International from MSY is 2 and a half hours. The flight acquired a 5 hour delay and arrived in Florida at 9:36 pm
Southwest Airlines labored with all passengers whose journey plans have been impacted by the turnaround as soon as they landed. The subsequent three Southwest Airlines Flight 554 journeys additionally acquired 5 hour delays
The airline responded: ‘Sorry for any frustration this delay has brought about. We know our Customers rely on constant ontime efficiency, and we’re sorry for falling wanting expectations.’
The airline was additionally not too long ago fined a report $140 million for canceling 16,900 flights in a December 2022 vacation meltdown that left two million passengers stranded.
Southwest Airlines misplaced as much as $425 million in income after the cancellations and was ranked the second worst airline for 2022 delays.
