After making negative headlines last month for controversially eliminating its policy of free checked baggage for customers, Southwest Airlines is now facing a major lawsuit.
Former Southwest Airlines flight attendant Bianca Hughley is suing the Dallas-based airline for $5 million after she was terminated during her probationary period. The lawsuit claims that Southwest violated the Railway Labor Act, which governs work rules within the aviation industry.
Hughley landed a job with Southwest Airlines in late 2021 when the airline opened up flight attendant recruitment for just four hours on a random November day as the company was trying to rebuild its workforce following the pandemic, according to the lawsuit filing, obtained by PYOK.
After landing the job, Hughley then had to pass an intensive training course and get through the probationary period of her employment, which is where things went wrong for her as her employment was terminated during her probationary period.
It's not clear why Hughley was fired, but in the lawsuit, she argues that Southwest Airlines and the flight attendant union failed to honor her rights under the Railway Labor Act.
In the lawsuit, Hughley argues that she should have had the right to file a grievance against the disciplinary proceedings that the airline brought against her. However, she was not given that opportunity.
Hughley estimates that she would have been earning about $40,000 a year as a junior Southwest flight attendant, which means that she lost out on more than $100,000 as a result of her termination.
Hughley is seeking $5 million in damages. She also wants to be reinstated to her previous job as a flight attendant with the airline.
We'll have to see how the lawsuit plays out for Southwest Airlines and Hughley.