Southwest Counts on New Legal VP in Flight Cancellation Fallout

Southwest Airlines Co. is counting on a new legal vice president to help the carrier cope with the fallout from mass travel cancellations.

Kevin Minchey is tasked with managing the company’s litigation docket—including cases related to the cancellations. Minchey will also handle the discount carrier’s collective bargaining agreements and oversee its compliance with federal, state, and local employment laws in the US.

Southwest announced Michey’s appointment just 10 days before it began the cancellation of 15,700 flights from Dec. 22 to Dec. 29. He spent a half-dozen years in private practice before joining Southwest in 2011. Minchey was most recently an associate general counsel for the airline.

Southwest has been hit with the first of what could be many putative class action lawsuits by a customer seeking a refund for one of thousands of canceled flights. Outside counsel has yet to enter an appearance for Southwest in that case.

The Biden administration said late Tuesday it would hold Southwest accountable for the holiday travel disruptions. The company has blamed the delays on a winter storm that roiled much of the US and legacy Southwest systems in need of upgrades.

Mark Shaw, who has spent nearly the past decade as the top legal and regulatory executive at Southwest, where he oversees roughly two dozen in-house lawyers, didn’t respond to a request for comment.

Shaw said in a Southwest statement that Minchey’s “passion” for the company makes him a “perfect fit” in his new role. Southwest said Minchey will continue to support the company’s operations department on regulatory matters.

Southwest spokeswoman Alyssa Foster said the Dallas-based company doesn’t provide information about pending litigation.

“There are several high priority efforts underway to do right by our customers, including processing refunds from cancelled flights, and reimbursing customers for expenses incurred as a result of the irregular operations,” Foster said.