"Southwest Airlines Faces Capacity Cuts and Financial Rethink Amid Boeing Challenges"

Southwest Airlines is cutting capacity, re-optimizing flight schedules, and pausing hiring due to Boeing's delivery challenges, with the airplane maker reducing its expected delivery of Max 8s to Southwest. This is the second major U.S. carrier affected by Boeing's issues, with United Airlines also pausing pilot hiring due to certification and manufacturing delays. The FAA has increased oversight of Boeing and its supplier Spirit AeroSystems following an incident involving a Max 9 jet operated by Alaska Airlines, and multiple cases of non-compliance with manufacturing quality control requirements have been discovered.