Southwest Airlines Attempts To Combat Holiday Travel Disruptions By Offering Employee Incentives

After canceling thousands of flights in October, Southwest Airlines is hoping to avoid travel disruptions over the holiday season by offering its employees a variety of incentives.

CNBC reported the airline sent out an internal memo on Saturday offering flight attendants and other staff members extra pay for holiday shifts, frequent flyer miles, and attendance bonuses.

Southwest will offer ground operations employees double pay for overtime shifts between Nov. 17 through Nov. 30, triple pay for working on Thanksgiving and Christmas, and time-and-a-half pay for staffers who work Dec. 17 through Jan. 3.

Meanwhile, pilots, flight attendants, and other employees could receive up to 120,000 Rapid Rewards points, which is valued at over $1,400.

Flight attendants who work 36 days between Nov. 15 and Jan. 14 are eligible for the incentive. However, cabin crew members can receive up 60,000 points for 28 days during that same time frame.

The announcement of the new incentives comes amid Southwest’s notable staffing shortages, which have increased since the company lifted its policy that required employees to provide a doctor’s note when they call out sick.

“We have a great opportunity here to uphold that commitment to them, and you, in the midst of what has been a difficult time for us all,” Sonya Lacore, the vice president of inflight operations, wrote in the memo.

“Our first step in addressing this, and actively working to protect the operation, was to reduce the schedule, and we believe this incentive program will take us another step in the right direction.”

Southwest lost $75 million after canceling over 2,000 flights last month. At the time, the airline blamed the disruption on air traffic control, bad weather, and staffing shortages.