1,300 Southwest Airline pilots line up in protest at Dallas Love Airport

About 1,300 Southwest Airline pilots gathered at Dallas Love Field airport on Tuesday to protest erratic scheduling and fatigue amidst staff shortages going into the busy summer travel season.

The pilots lined up along Mockingbird Lane, which leads up to the airport Southwest is headquartered at, in an visually striking “informal picket” to raise awareness to pilot fatigue, stress, the pilot shortage and other issues plaguing the industry.

#HappeningNow: More than a thousand @swapapilots
are protesting at Love Field Airport in #Dallas. They say they're understaffed, overworked and stress changes need to be made. Stories on @WBAP247NEWS https://t.co/nvnZYs9nCF

— Nicole Osei (@NicOseiNews) June 21, 2022

The Southwest Airlines Pilots Association, who organized the demonstration, called it “the largest display of unity in Southwest Airlines history,” reported NBC 5 DFW.

"Our pilots have had to address the fatigue issue with management publicly, which is something that we never want to do, but ultimately, our pilots have been tired and have been trying to do everything they can,” Capt. Casey Murray, a pilot and president of the SWA Pilots Association, told NBC 5.

The airline has 2,200 fewer employees than it did three years ago before the pandemic, with the biggest shortages in pilots and flight instructors, according to The Dallas Morning News.

The union blames this shortage, along with “scheduling inefficiencies” from delays and cancellations, which causes pilots to fly longer and become more fatigued.

"Our pilots have lost over the last year almost 20,000 days off, which is over 50 years that our pilots have lost –  involuntarily being made to fly on off days. And again, fatigue is cumulative. So it adds up and the more flying that there is that has to be covered,” Murray said.

The union emphasized this was not a “walk-out,” as none of the pilots were scheduled to work.

Southwest said in a statement that it “respects the rights of our employees to express their opinions.”

“'For 51 years, we've maintained a legendary Southwest culture that honors our valued employees,” Southwest told NBC 5.

Many airlines have canceled flights and routes, citing staff shortages as one of the main reasons. American Airlines announced Tuesday that it was canceling flights to three small airports in Ohio and New York due to a pilot shortage.