FAA looking into Southwest for baggage weight discrepancies: report

by Chris Mills Rodrigo - 02/18/19 2:31 PM ET

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is investigating Southwest Airlines for alleged inaccuracies in tracking total baggage weight loaded onto aircrafts, The Wall Street Journal reported Monday.

A yearlong civil probe into the company reportedly found significant, systemic errors in calculations of baggage weight and loading, potentially leading to discrepancies when pilots are computing takeoffs.

{mosads}The FAA has yet determine whether to pursue punishments based on the findings, the Journal learned from people familiar with the investigation.

Disparities between reported and actual weight varied from a few dozen pounds to up to 1,000 pounds.

Those differences sparked disputes between the airline and agency inspectors over potential safety risks, according to the Journal

An FAA spokesperson confirmed that the agency began an investigation into Southwest over weight discrepancies in February of last year.

“Since that time, the FAA has directed the development of a comprehensive solution to the methods and processes used by Southwest Airlines to determine this performance data,” they said. “The FAA will not close its investigation until it is satisfied that Southwest’s corrective actions are consistent and sustained.”

Southwest spokesperson Brandy King told The Hill that the FAA has not taken enforcement action against the airline. She also said that there is an open letter of investigation on the issue, a common mechanism for the FAA to document and share safety concerns with airlines.

“As part of our FAA-approved Safety Management System, Southwest identifies and voluntarily reports safety-related topics to the FAA to improve our processes and procedures,” King said. “The dialogue that is being reported between the FAA and Southwest is part of that ongoing effort to track and voluntarily report operational data to the FAA so that we can mitigate and eliminate any operational risks as Safety is always our top priority.”

Updated at 3:29 p.m.