Column: The guilty parties evading blame for the Southwest meltdown are its board members

A Southwest employee picking his way through a sea of unclaimed baggage at its Los Angeles International Airport terminal just before New Year’s Day. That leaves one set of Southwest figures who have, so far, evaded the finger-pointing after the airline’s epic meltdown: the board of directors. — Southwest flight attendants union These are the people who have presided over the airline’s evolution from a company respected for its devotion to customer service into one that demands respect because it “returns value to shareholders” via generous dividends and stock buybacks. Over the previous decade, Kelly said, Southwest had “returned more than $11 billion of value to Shareholders through share repurchases and dividends.” Among its financial priorities were to “grow earnings, margins, and capital returns; and maintain healthy Shareholder returns.” What was missing from this statement was any reference to Southwest’s operational performance, say by reducing late flights and cancellations. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg has warned Southwest that he will be watching closely to make sure the airline meets its legal obligations to affected passengers, but he could take a stronger stand by questioning whether the airline’s executives and board members are fit to continue in their roles.