Janice R. Andrews
Soda cans on Southwest Airlines aircraft are bursting 30,000 feet in the air due to the unexpected and deadly side effect of extremely hot summer temperatures in some parts of the United States. This summer, cans that burst while being opened have harmed at least 20 flight attendants. The Washington Post received confirmation from Southwest Airlines regarding the issue, which they attributed to drink cans getting overheated prior to being carried onto the aircraft.
Soda and Heat: An erratic combination
Southwest Airlines does not employ refrigerated trucks for storage or transit, in contrast to other airlines that provide meals and perishable items. This implies that on hot days, soda cans kept in airport storage heat up, increasing pressure and eventually causing explosions when opened at high altitudes.
Southwest spokesman Chris Perry stated, “We are aware of the issue and have begun taking steps to attempt to mitigate it.”
Note Increased Heat & Temperatures
Due to climate change, this summer has brought unprecedented heatwaves and high temperatures to several parts of the nation. During a heat dome that occurred last month, temperatures in nearly a dozen southwestern U.S. cities either reached or exceeded records, leading to widespread heat advisories. This summer has seen record-breaking heat, with triple digit temperatures frequently recorded in Phoenix and Las Vegas.
The majority of Southwest’s soda issues have been in these cities and a few others that frequently have hot days. The airline is attempting to resolve the soda-storage issue in Dallas, Austin, Houston, and Sacramento in addition to Las Vegas and Phoenix.
“Airports where we have a large presence – such as Las Vegas, Phoenix, and many in Texas – continue to receive record temperatures, with severe heat arriving earlier and persisting throughout the summer,” said Perry. “For the safety of our employees and customers, we are taking education and mitigation measures on all heat-related hazards.”
Reduction Measures
Southwest has instructed ground staff to use digital temperature sensors to check the cans of soda before loading them onto leaving planes in order to address this problem. It is forbidden for flight attendants to open cans that seem distorted. In order to keep the sodas cold until they are carried onto the aircraft, the airline is also testing the usage of a few air-conditioned trucks in Las Vegas.
While ruptured soda cans have been a recurrent problem in previous years, there has been a discernible uptick in reports this year from Southwest Airlines. The airline was unable to give precise figures regarding the frequency of these instances. Thankfully, there have been no reports of passenger injuries. The type of injuries the flight attendants incurred is still unknown, though.
The Washington Post requested comment from the Southwest flight attendants’ union, but they did not reply.
High Demand for Travel
The demand for consumer travel has surged to an all-time high, in part because remote workers now have more freedom, which leads to the soda dilemma. Last month, the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) declared that a record number of passengers had been screened. The record of slightly less than 3 million passenger screenings in a single day was broken by the TSA on July 7, two weeks after it was set on June 23.
As the summer heat continues to present difficulties, Southwest Airlines is dedicated to identifying workable solutions to guarantee the security and well-being of its staff and customers.
