Southwest still losing business after fatal accident

DALLAS – The fatal accident on a Southwest Airlines flight this spring appears to be hurting the carrier’s business more than expected.

Southwest said Monday that based on booking trends it expects a key revenue measure to fall 3 per cent for the second quarter compared with last spring.

That’s at the outer limit of Southwest’s previous prediction of a 1 per cent to 3 per cent decline in revenue for every seat flown one mile.

Southwest says ticket sales are down because it reduced advertising after the April 17 accident. A woman was killed when an engine blew apart high over Pennsylvania and debris shattered the window next to her seat, pushing her partly through the opening. A federal investigation is underway.

It was the first accident-related death of a passenger in Southwest’s history.