A football player at a southern Colorado college is accused of hiring three men to kill his residence hall neighbor after the pair argued about hair left in their shared shower, according to the Fort Lewis College Police Department.
Jackson Thomas Keller, 19, was arrested on Jan. 29 in Durango on suspicion of soliciting a homicide and illegally carrying a weapon on college grounds, according to an arrest affidavit.
The student targeted by Keller told police that they played football together and had started “having issues” in recent weeks, police wrote in the affidavit. Their rooms were next to each other in Cooper Hall and shared an adjoining bathroom.
Keller started a fight with the student over leaving hair in the shower about a week before trying to arrange his death, police said in the arrest report. The targeted student started locking his door after that fight, so Keller could no longer access his dorm room from the shared bathroom.
On Jan. 28, the student was in his dorm room when he heard the knob on his bathroom door rattling like someone was trying to enter, according to the affidavit. The student told police this had been an ongoing issue and that he knew it was Keller trying to get in, so he went to confront Keller in his dorm room.
The student told police he argued with Keller and kicked over Keller’s TV, knocking it into a PlayStation. Keller then challenged him to a fight and the student retreated into the hall.
Keller never followed, but a friend of the targeted student told him that Keller was waiting in his dorm room and holding a pair of scissors behind his back, allegedly planning to stab the student if he came back in, according to the affidavit.
Keller later offered to give that friend $500 to “put a hat” on the victim. When the friend turned him down, he called a group of three men in Colorado Springs and offered it to them instead. They accepted.
The friend saw the men holding guns when Keller video-called them and watched Keller transfer the money on CashApp. As the group started to plan their route and timing to the college, the friend pretended to get a phone call and left the room to alert the targeted student of the planned attack.
The targeted student reported Keller to the college’s housing officials, who then alerted campus police.
Keller was released from the La Plata County Jail on a $50,000 cash or surety bail and is set to appear in court for a filing of charges hearing Feb. 23, according to court records.
Harry Reid International Airport welcomed almost 55 million ticketed passengers in 2025
The 2025 passenger count was the airport’s third-best year on record
The 2025 numbers, however, represent a significant decline from 2024
Harry Reid International Airport, the main air hub of Las Vegas, served almost 55 million arriving and departing passengers last year.
A Southwest flight takes off from Harry Reid International Airport, with the Sphere, Wynn and Encore, Resorts World, and the Las Vegas Convention Center in the distance. The Las Vegas airport served about 55 million passengers in 2025, down almost 6% from 2024. (Image: Shutterstock)
Though the official LAS traffic tally of 54,986,334 ticketed passengers making their way through Harry Reid International represented the third-best year on record, the 2025 traffic marked a 5.9% decline from 2024. The year-over-year net loss equated to about 3.46 million fewer passengers through LAS’ two passenger terminals.
The slowdown in 2025 followed two record-setting years, during which passenger counts climbed to 58.44 million in 2024.
Following two record-setting years, Harry Reid International Airport served nearly 55 million passengers in 2025 — the third-highest annual total in the airport’s history. This achievement underscores Las Vegas’ enduring appeal as a world-class destination for leisure, business, and special events,” the airport said of the report.
“Despite aviation industry-wide challenges, the airport maintained seamless operations during a federal government shutdown and became a national leader in supporting federal workers with a donated food and essentials pantry,” the statistics release continued. The airport added that LAS continued to focus on enhancing the passenger experience throughout the year.
Las Vegas Turbulence
Las Vegas tourism suffered in 2025. The Las Vegas Convention & Visitors Authority (LVCVA) reported earlier this week that visitor volume was down 7.5% for the year, a net loss of more than 3.12 million guests.
The tourism decline led to stagnant gaming on the Las Vegas Strip. Gross gaming revenue was up a trivial 0.03% to approximately $8.81 billion.
Traffic wasn’t quite as bad at the airport. LAS officials are optimistic about the year ahead.
“As the city looks ahead to even busier years, 2025 stands as a testament to Las Vegas’s status as a top travel hub, connecting millions to the excitement of the Sports and Entertainment Capital of the World,” the airport release concluded.
Southwest remained LAS’ top airline, accounting for 21.8 million passengers. Delta was a distant second at 5.2 million passengers.
Not All Stay in Las Vegas
The LAS numbers do not include layovers, as an arriving or departing passenger is considered one who goes through security.
However, all international arrivals count, as they must go through the customs/immigration process upon arrival, regardless of whether Las Vegas is their final destination. For international travelers connecting through Las Vegas to another domestic city, their flights still count as an official LAS arrival. The same goes for departing international layovers through Las Vegas.
International traffic at Harry Reid isn’t overly robust. Foreign arriving and departing flights accounted for 3.42 million passengers, down 7.4% from the prior year.
ALONE, AND THAT NUMBER IS LIKELY TO GO UP. LET’S GET OVER TO KCRA 3’S CORTEZ. HE’S LIVE AT SACRAMENTO INTERNATIONAL. CHECK IN ON HOW THINGS ARE SHAPING UP FOR TRAVELERS IN OUR REGION. DENTON. TRAVELERS FEELING THOSE IMPACTS TONIGHT. CECIL. AS MORE THAN 20 STATES ISSUED AN EMERGENCY DISASTER DECLARATION AS FLIGHTS DISRUPTIONS CONTINUE FROM THE SOUTHWEST TO THE NORTHEAST. ROLLING BAGS, USUALLY A SIGN FOR TAKEOFF AT SMUD. BUT TONIGHT, A SOUND OF WAITING AS A POWERFUL WINTER STORM ENGULFS MUCH OF THE U.S. WE FOUND OUT AS WE WERE RIDING TO THE AIRPORT HERE THAT IT WAS DELAYED. SO YEAH, WE’LL MISS OUR CONNECTING FLIGHT. I WOULD HAVE BEEN IN CHICAGO BY 6:00. NOW I’M LIKE EIGHT HOURS LATER. AIRLINES CANCELING AND DELAYING FLIGHTS AS CONDITIONS WORSEN FROM THE MIDWEST TO THE EAST COAST, LEAVING TRAVELERS RACING TO CHANGE PLANS IN TIME. DID YOU FIND OUT LIKE THE FLIGHT WAS CANCELED? I O AT 4 A.M. I WAS HERE SINCE 4 A.M. WOW. AND YOU CAN’T FIND A TICKET? MORE THAN 12,000 FLIGHTS CANCELED THIS WEEKEND, AS AIRLINES LIKE DELTA AND AMERICAN WARN OF DELAYS OFFERING TO WAIVE FEES TO MAJOR AIRPORTS LIKE O’HARE. I GOT TO FIND SOMEONE TO PICK ME UP AT 1:00 IN THE MORNING IN CHICAGO. I’M JUST TRYING TO GET ANOTHER TICKET, BUT IT’S SO EXPENSIVE. OR. OR THEY DON’T HAVE IT UNTIL MONDAY. MAYBE. SOUTHWEST WARNING TRAVELERS TO EXPECT DELAYS AT MORE THAN 40 AIRPORTS WITH FLIGHTS TO DALLAS FORT WORTH LEADING CANCELLATIONS, WITH MORE THAN 700. MY FLIGHT WAS SUPPOSED TO GO INTO DALLAS FROM DALLAS TO HOBBY, BUT THAT GOT CANCELED. WE’RE LEAVING ON OUR CRUISE SUNDAY, AND I’M SUPPOSED TO GET AND IT’S SHOWING ME I’M GOING TO GET AT 2:00 IN THE CRUISE LEAVES AT LIKE I THINK LIKE AT FOUR, THERE’S LIKE NO WAY I’LL MAKE IT. YOU CAN’T BLAME ANYBODY BECAUSE NO ONE CAN CONTROL MOTHER NATURE. SAC INTERNATIONAL TELLING TRAVELERS TO CHECK IN WITH THE AIRLINES DIRECTLY, AS THEY’LL HAVE MORE INFORMATION AS THESE FLIGHT DISRUPTIONS ARE EXPECTED
Sacramento travelers caught in nationwide flight disruptions as winter storm hits
More than 12,000 flights were canceled this weekend
A powerful winter storm is sweeping across much of the United States, triggering widespread travel disruptions and leaving thousands of passengers stranded as airlines cancel and delay flights from the Midwest to the East Coast.More than 12,000 flights have been canceled nationwide this weekend, according to FlightAware, as heavy snow, ice and dangerous winds move through major travel corridors. The impacts are being felt locally as well, with Sacramento travelers facing delays and missed connections while trying to reach destinations in the Southwest and Northeast.“We found out as we were riding to the airport here that it was delayed,” traveler Mark Williams said. “So yeah, we’ll miss our connecting flight.”Passenger Jamie Lichter described a long and frustrating wait. “I would have been in Chicago by 6. Now I’m like eight hours later,” she said.As conditions worsen, airlines are scrambling to manage operations, and passengers are racing to rebook flights or change plans altogether. Southwest Airlines is warning travelers to expect delays at more than 40 airports nationwide. Flights to and from Texas have been hit especially hard, with Dallas-Fort Worth leading the country in cancellations, topping 700 canceled flights. Although Sacramento International Airport isn’t directly affected by the winter storm, they are urging travelers to check flight status before heading to the airport and to allow extra time as the storm system continues to impact travel nationwide.See more coverage of top California stories here | Download our app | Subscribe to our morning newsletter | Find us on YouTube here and subscribe to our channel
SACRAMENTO, Calif. —
A powerful winter storm is sweeping across much of the United States, triggering widespread travel disruptions and leaving thousands of passengers stranded as airlines cancel and delay flights from the Midwest to the East Coast.
More than 12,000 flights have been canceled nationwide this weekend, according to FlightAware, as heavy snow, ice and dangerous winds move through major travel corridors. The impacts are being felt locally as well, with Sacramento travelers facing delays and missed connections while trying to reach destinations in the Southwest and Northeast.
“We found out as we were riding to the airport here that it was delayed,” traveler Mark Williams said. “So yeah, we’ll miss our connecting flight.”
Passenger Jamie Lichter described a long and frustrating wait. “I would have been in Chicago by 6. Now I’m like eight hours later,” she said.
As conditions worsen, airlines are scrambling to manage operations, and passengers are racing to rebook flights or change plans altogether.
Southwest Airlines is warning travelers to expect delays at more than 40 airports nationwide. Flights to and from Texas have been hit especially hard, with Dallas-Fort Worth leading the country in cancellations, topping 700 canceled flights.
Although Sacramento International Airport isn’t directly affected by the winter storm, they are urging travelers to check flight status before heading to the airport and to allow extra time as the storm system continues to impact travel nationwide.
Winter weather can upend even the best-laid travel plans, but one less thing to worry about is losing money if your flight is canceled: U.S. airlines are required to provide refunds.A major, dayslong winter storm is threatening to bring snow, sleet, ice and extensive power outages to about half the U.S. population. Thousands of weekend flights already have been canceled, and forecasters warn that catastrophic damage, especially in areas pounded by ice, could rival that of a hurricane.Here’s a guide for travelers as flight disruptions start stacking up: When airlines expect bad weather to create problems for flights, they often give travelers a chance to postpone their trips by a few days without having to pay a fee. Search online for your airline’s name and “travel alerts” or similar phrases to look for possible rescheduling offers.American Airlines, for example, said it is waiving change fees for passengers impacted by the storm, which brought freezing rain to parts of Texas on Friday. The Texas-based airline has canceled more than 1,200 flights scheduled to depart Saturday, according to aviation analytics firm Cirium.American also added extra flights to and from Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport through at least Sunday — totaling more than 3,200 additional seats. Use the airline’s app to make sure your flight is still on before heading to the airport. Cancellations can happen hours or even days before departure time. If you’re already at the airport, get in line to speak to a customer service representative. If you’re still at home or at your hotel, call or go online to connect to your airline’s reservations staff. Either way, it helps to also research alternate flights while you wait to talk to an agent.Most airlines will rebook you on a later flight for no additional charge, but it depends on the availability of open seats. You can, but airlines aren’t required to put you on another carrier’s flight. Some airlines, including most of the biggest carriers, say they can put you on a partner airline, but even then, it can be a hit or miss. If your flight was canceled and you no longer want to take the trip, or you’ve found another way to get to your destination, the airline is legally required to refund your money — even if you bought a non-refundable ticket. It doesn’t matter why the flight was canceled.The airline might offer you a travel credit, but you are entitled to a full refund. You are also entitled to a refund of any bag fees, seat upgrades or other extras that you didn’t get to use. If you paid with a credit card, a refund is due within seven business days after you decline an offer from the airline for another flight or a voucher, and within 20 calendar days if you paid for the ticket with a check or cash, according to the U.S. Department of Transportation. U.S. airlines aren’t required by the Transportation Department to compensate passengers for meals or lodging when an airline cancels or significantly delays a flight during an “uncontrollable” event like bad weather.Each airline, however, does have its own policies for assisting passengers who are stranded by a so-called “controllable” flight cancellation or long delay. These include disruptions caused by maintenance issues, crew shortages or computer outages that halt operations. The Transportation Department can hold airlines accountable for these commitments and maintains a website that lets travelers see what each airline promises if a major disruption is their fault. If the weather forecast is troubling, Kyle Potter, executive editor of Thrifty Traveler, suggests looking into booking a backup flight. Some airlines stand out as potential backups, Potter says, because they let customers get a full refund as long as they cancel within 24 hours of booking.The customer service phone lines will be slammed if flight cancellations and delays start stacking up during a bad storm. If you’re traveling with someone who has a higher frequent-flyer status, call the airline using their priority number. Another trick: Look up the airline’s international support number. Those agents can often rebook you just the same.
Winter weather can upend even the best-laid travel plans, but one less thing to worry about is losing money if your flight is canceled: U.S. airlines are required to provide refunds.
A major, dayslong winter storm is threatening to bring snow, sleet, ice and extensive power outages to about half the U.S. population. Thousands of weekend flights already have been canceled, and forecasters warn that catastrophic damage, especially in areas pounded by ice, could rival that of a hurricane.
Here’s a guide for travelers as flight disruptions start stacking up:
When airlines expect bad weather to create problems for flights, they often give travelers a chance to postpone their trips by a few days without having to pay a fee. Search online for your airline’s name and “travel alerts” or similar phrases to look for possible rescheduling offers.
American Airlines, for example, said it is waiving change fees for passengers impacted by the storm, which brought freezing rain to parts of Texas on Friday. The Texas-based airline has canceled more than 1,200 flights scheduled to depart Saturday, according to aviation analytics firm Cirium.
American also added extra flights to and from Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport through at least Sunday — totaling more than 3,200 additional seats.
Use the airline’s app to make sure your flight is still on before heading to the airport. Cancellations can happen hours or even days before departure time.
If you’re already at the airport, get in line to speak to a customer service representative. If you’re still at home or at your hotel, call or go online to connect to your airline’s reservations staff. Either way, it helps to also research alternate flights while you wait to talk to an agent.
Most airlines will rebook you on a later flight for no additional charge, but it depends on the availability of open seats.
You can, but airlines aren’t required to put you on another carrier’s flight. Some airlines, including most of the biggest carriers, say they can put you on a partner airline, but even then, it can be a hit or miss.
If your flight was canceled and you no longer want to take the trip, or you’ve found another way to get to your destination, the airline is legally required to refund your money — even if you bought a non-refundable ticket. It doesn’t matter why the flight was canceled.
The airline might offer you a travel credit, but you are entitled to a full refund. You are also entitled to a refund of any bag fees, seat upgrades or other extras that you didn’t get to use.
If you paid with a credit card, a refund is due within seven business days after you decline an offer from the airline for another flight or a voucher, and within 20 calendar days if you paid for the ticket with a check or cash, according to the U.S. Department of Transportation.
U.S. airlines aren’t required by the Transportation Department to compensate passengers for meals or lodging when an airline cancels or significantly delays a flight during an “uncontrollable” event like bad weather.
Each airline, however, does have its own policies for assisting passengers who are stranded by a so-called “controllable” flight cancellation or long delay. These include disruptions caused by maintenance issues, crew shortages or computer outages that halt operations. The Transportation Department can hold airlines accountable for these commitments and maintains a website that lets travelers see what each airline promises if a major disruption is their fault.
If the weather forecast is troubling, Kyle Potter, executive editor of Thrifty Traveler, suggests looking into booking a backup flight. Some airlines stand out as potential backups, Potter says, because they let customers get a full refund as long as they cancel within 24 hours of booking.
The customer service phone lines will be slammed if flight cancellations and delays start stacking up during a bad storm. If you’re traveling with someone who has a higher frequent-flyer status, call the airline using their priority number. Another trick: Look up the airline’s international support number. Those agents can often rebook you just the same.
Last week, Arizona pulled Underdog’s fantasy sports license amid the company’s prediction markets push.
Analyst says Fanatics, PrizePicks at risk of similar fate.
DraftKings, FanDuel appear safe in the state.
Last week, Arizona regulators yanked Underdog’s fantasy sports license as the company pushes into prediction markets, marking the first example of a daily fantasy sports (DFS) or sportsbook operator losing a state permit due to involvement in the event contracts space.
The Underdog logo. The company lost its fantasy sports license in Arizona and it won’t be the last. (Image: Underdog Sports)
In partnership with Crypto.com, Underdog launched its prediction market offering in September, becoming the first DFS or sportsbook license holder to do so. Citizens equity research analyst Jordan Bender said it’s likely Arizona pulled Underdog’s fantasy sports license first because the company had the longest running prediction markets exposure of the various permit holders there. However, Underdog is unlikely to be the last gaming company to lose its Arizona license.
The two major companies we believe this will impact are Fanatics, with a high-single-digit handle market share in AZ (gaming license), and PrizePicks (fantasy license),” observes the analyst. “Fanatics launched Fanatics Markets two weeks ago with Crypto.com, and PrizePicks has a relationship with Kalshi and Polymarket.”
Kalshi and Polymarket have received cease and desist letters from Arizona regulators. Last Friday, Crypto.com pulled its full suite of event contracts out of Arizona while yanking sports derivatives in Illinois, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Nevada, New Jersey, and Ohio — all of which permit online sports betting.
‘Can of Worms’ Opened in Arizona
Bender says the Underdog situation in Arizona “opens a can of worms” regarding the actions states can take against gaming companies that pursue prediction markets.
From coast-to-coast, states where sports betting is permitted have been consistent in telling operators that if they forge into prediction markets, their licenses will be jeopardized. Still, Underdog’s fate in Arizona reveals regulatory inconsistencies.
“The picking and choosing from the state creates some uncertainty with the inconsistency in Arizona’s line of thinking, in our view,” adds Bender. “For example, the state awarded Bet365 a gaming license during a time it had black market exposure in China but is now stripping a license for an offering not even in its state.”
The analyst also notes Underdog’s plight in Arizona isn’t unique and that’s just a matter of time before the state pulls the licenses of other operators.
DraftKings, FanDuel Appear Safe in Arizona
FanDuel and DraftKings are the two largest sportsbook operator in the US and in Arizona, they’re the only companies possessing both fantasy sports and sports wagering permits. For now, both operators appear safe in that state.
Both are getting into prediction markets, but in the states where they hold sports wagering permits, the plan is to not offer sports event contracts. For FanDuel, that’s made feasible via its partnership with CME Group. DraftKings has its own levers to pull to potentially dance on the floors of both prediction markets and sports wagering.
“We believe both of these companies took the cleanest way possible to avoid friction with states and, on the surface, should not be impacted by the decision out of Arizona,” concludes Bnder. “We would even argue DraftKings’ acquisition of Railbird solves this issue by providing flexibility in a sense whereby it can tailor its offering around fluid changes in regulations over time.”
A man was shot and killed by a La Plata County sheriff’s deputy on Tuesday afternoon after coming at the deputy with an ax handle and baseball bat during a traffic stop for what appeared to be domestic violence, according to the Colorado Bureau of Investigation.
Multiple people called 911 at around 2:40 p.m. Tuesday about a man and woman who were fighting inside a moving vehicle driving north on U.S. 550 leaving Durango, CBI officials said in a news release Wednesday.
A La Plata County deputy and Durango police officer spotted the vehicle in the 28000 block of U.S. 550, about six miles north of Durango, and pulled the driver over.
A woman got out of the vehicle and ran toward the officers for help and the driver, armed with an ax handle and baseball bat, started moving toward the woman and the deputy, according to the CBI.
The deputy shot the man and, despite medical aid, he died at the scene.
No one else was injured during the encounter, state officials said.
The sheriff’s deputy was put on administrative leave as part of the standard protocol for police shootings, and the CBI is investigating the case along with the Southwest Regional Shoot Team.
A New York man driving a semitrailer in southern Colorado died Monday after crashing over the edge of a mountain pass, according to the state patrol.
A man was killed Nov. 3, 2025, after the semitruck he was driving on U.S. 160 over Wolf Creek Pass near Pagosa Springs went over the side, throwing him from the cab. (Courtesy of Colorado State Patrol)
The man, 23, was driving south on a section of U.S. 160 near Pagosa Springs known as Wolf Creek Pass when he hit the barrier wall on the right side of the highway and bounced off, according to a news release from the Colorado State Patrol.
He then swerved through the guardrail on the highway’s left side, rolling the semitrailer down the mountain, investigators said in the release.
Both the trailer and the cab were destroyed in the crash, which happened at about 8:20 a.m. Monday, according to the agency.
The man was driving at an “excessive speed” with smoke coming from the brakes before the crash, state patrol officials said. He failed to take the runaway truck ramp about 1 1/2 miles before the crash site.
Investigators could not immediately find the driver amid the “large debris scene” that spread from the highway down the mountain because his body was ejected from the vehicle in the crash, state patrol officials said. The man, who has not been publicly identified, was later found dead.
The semitrailer split open during the initial crash on the highway, spilling its cargo of canned drinks across the pass before rolling down the mountain, according to investigators.
Colorado Department of Transportation crews used a plow to clear the roadway of the drinks and debris. The highway was fully open Monday afternoon.
State investigators were working Monday to recover the semitrailer and cab from the mountainside. No additional information about the crash, which remains under investigation, was available.
Pushback and criticism against the federal government continued across Colorado this week after immigration officials arrested a father and two children in Durango, sparking local protests that were met with pepper spray, rubber bullets and physical confrontation by federal agents.
Colorado Bureau of Investigation officials on Thursday announced the agency will investigate a federal agent throwing a protester’s phone and pushing her to the ground outside a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement field office in Durango.
The encounter was caught on video as demonstrators gathered outside the ICE office on Monday to try to prevent a Colombian man and his two children from being separated and moved to different facilities.
Fernando Jaramillo Solano and his 12- and 15-year-old children were arrested Monday morning while heading to school despite the family’s active asylum case, advocates with Compañeros Four Corners Immigrant Resource Center said.
Durango Police Chief Brice Current asked the CBI to investigate in the wake of a widely circulated video which “appears to show a federal agent use force on a woman during the demonstration,” the state agency said Thursday.
Investigators will look into whether any state criminal laws were broken during the incident and send the investigation to the 6th Judicial District; the district attorney’s office will decide whether to file charges.
Gov. Jared Polis on Wednesday said Colorado officials were not informed of the operation or given any information about whether Jaramillo Solano and his children were suspected of any crimes.
“The federal government’s lack of transparency about its immigration actions in Durango and in the free state of Colorado remains extremely maddening,” Polis said on social media.
“The federal government should prioritize apprehending and prosecuting dangerous criminals, no matter where they come from, and keep our communities safe instead of snatching up children and breaking up families,” he continued.
ICE officials did not respond to an email seeking comment about the investigation and arrests.
Dozens of Durango and La Plata County residents packed City Council chambers and overflowed into the hallway during a tense, emotional community meeting Thursday evening.
City officials at times seemed at a loss for how to address the arrests and protests, including ICE officials refusing to let Durango police perform a welfare check on the children.
“People really put their lives on the line for the children and this community, and it was an incredible display of people’s position on this issue. It makes me very proud and sad at the same time,” Councilwoman Shirley Gonzales said.
Community members who attended the protest spoke about being assaulted and seeing others assaulted by ICE agents while state and local police watched and did nothing to intervene.
Sixteen-year-old McKenna Bard described calling 911 five times to beg for medical assistance, but no one came, leaving high school students and residents to try to treat their own injuries for more than two hours.
Bard was one of several speakers who criticized the Durango Police Department for failing to help community members during the protest, even to provide medical aid.
“The people of Durango feel betrayed, lied to and disgusted,” Bard said.
The Rev. Jamie Boyce, a minister with the Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Durango, said she saw ICE agents stomp on protesters who sat with linked arms, pepper-spray protesters directly in the face and use sound cannons and rubber bullets. One agent put a protester in a chokehold, she said.
“City Council, I want you to hear the haunting cries of people asking, ‘Why won’t you protect us?’ Because that is the question that calls for your moral clarity,” she said. “I beg you, claim your moral ground and strength of character to help heal our hurting city.”
The arrests and protests in Durango are among a wave of violent federal immigration action across the United States, with similar clashes between demonstrators and federal agents happening in Chicago, Los Angeles and Portland, Ore.
Stephen Miller, a top adviser to President Donald Trump, last week said any state or local officials who impede federal law enforcement are engaging in illegal activity.
“To all ICE officers, you have federal immunity in the conduct of your duties, and anyone who lays a hand on you or tried to stop you is committing a felony,” Miller said on Fox News.
Chase Ultimate Rewards Transfer Bonus, Get 25% More Southwest Rapid Rewards
🔃 Update (Oct 23, 2025) – Chase is now offering its best ever transfer bonus for the Southwest Rapid Rewards frequent flyer program. Get 25% bonus Southwest Rapid Rewards points when you transfer Ultimate Rewards points between October 23, 2025 and November 6, 2025. Bonus points will be awarded by Southwest in your Rapid Rewards account after your transfer is complete. See full list of active transfer bonuses.
➡️ Original article (Oct 11, 2020) Chase has a rare transfer bonus for its credit card rewards customers. You can get a 20% bonus when you transfer Chase Ultimate Rewards points to the Southwest Rapid Rewards frequent flyer program. Chase has one of the most useful rewards programs out there, will many travel partners. But, it very rarely offers these bonuses.
Normally, Chase Ultimate Rewards points transfer to each of its nine airline partners at a 1:1 ratio. For example, 1,000 Ultimate Rewards points equal 1,000 Southwest Rapid Rewards. Now, through October 31, 2020, you’ll get a 20% bonus on transfers to British Airways. Every 1,000 Chase Ultimate Rewards points transferred will get you 1,200 Southwest Rapid Rewards. While the regular points will transfer right away, it might be a short delay on the bonus points.
Guru’s Wrap-up
This is a rare bonus from the Chase Ultimate Rewards program. If you normally use your Chase points for Southwest flights, then this is a big boost and an exciting offer. For others, it’s probably not worth it, unless you have a redemption in mind. Southwest points re normally valued between 1.5¢ and with this 20% bonus you can get a value of around 1.8¢. That’s a good value, but you can always do better.
Conejos County dispatchers received a call for help from hunters in a remote area of the South San Juan Wilderness shortly before 11:30 p.m. Friday, according to a news release from the sheriff’s office. At that time, CPR was already in progress.
Sheriff Garth Crowther immediately activated the Conejos County Search and Rescue team, but the victim, a 54-year-old man from Tennessee, had already died when rescuers arrived, the news release stated.
“Due to hazardous nighttime conditions, it was not safe to conduct a recovery mission with the Flight for Life helicopter,” sheriff’s officials stated in the release.
Search teams and the helicopter returned to the area early Saturday morning and recovered the man’s body. The Conejos County Coroner’s Office will release his identity and cause of death.
Everyone entering the wilderness needs to be cautious and well-prepared for the challenges of the backcountry, Crowther said in the release. There is no threat to the hunting public or those observing the fall colors in the area.
The two elk hunters who died earlier this month — 25-year-old Andrew Porter of Asheville, N.C., and 25-year-old Ian Stasko of Salt Lake City — were killed by lightning, Conejos County Coroner Richard Martin said.
Emilie Kiser broke her three-month-long silence on the death of her 3-year-old son, Trigg, who drowned in the family pool at her Arizona home in May.
Kiser, a 26-year-old TikTok creator with millions of followers, issued her first emotional statement on social media on Thursday, describing her grief as “impossible to put into words.”
The case has drawn national attention given Kiser’s public platform as a “mom influencer” with more than 4 million TikTok followers.
Kiser’s message provided the first glimpse into how her family is coping.
Mom influencer Emilie Kiser broke her silence on Thursday after her son Trigg tragically died in May.(Getty Images, Emilie Kiser via Instagram)
On May 12, Trigg was playing in the backyard of the Kiser family’s Chandler home when he tripped on an inflatable chair and fell into the pool, according to police.
Surveillance video confirmed the fall was accidental. The boy remained submerged for several minutes before being pulled out. Kiser was not home at the time of the incident. The boy’s father, Brady Kiser, was watching Trigg and the couple’s newborn son. He told police he was distracted by the baby inside when Trigg fell in.
First responders performed CPR and rushed Trigg to the hospital, where he remained on life support for nearly a week. He died six days later on May 18.
Calling Trigg both her “baby and best friend,” Emilie Kiser accepted accountability for his death as his mother. She expressed deep regret, writing: “One of the hardest lessons I carry is that a permanent pool fence could have saved his life, and it is something I will never overlook again.”
Trigg Kiser, 3, drowned in the family’s pool in May.(Emilie Kiser/Instagram)
Emilie Kiser wrote in her Instagram story that her son Trigg’s death is a “pain, heartache, and void that no family should ever have to endure.”(Emilie Kiser via Instagram)
Emilie Kiser also said she will be drawing stricter boundaries online to protect her family’s privacy. “I now have seen through this tragedy how relationships online lack boundaries, especially in protecting children’s privacy. Moving forward, I will be establishing more boundaries with what I share online,” she wrote.
She thanked her family and supporters, writing “To our family: we would not be getting through this without you. The support you have given us, the unconditional love, and the way you show up is something we will never be able to repay or thank you enough for.” She added: “To my audience and the people who have supported us: I cannot thank you enough for the kind messages I have received, for the outpouring of love for our family, and for the support you have brought to me in these extremely tough times.”
The Chandler Police Department recommended a Class 4 felony charge of child abuse against Brady Kiser in the drowning death of his 3-year-old son, Trigg Kiser.(Emilie Kiser/Instagram)
The Chandler Police Department recommended a Class 4 felony charge of child abuse against Brady Kiser, but prosecutors determined the evidence did not meet the threshold for a “reasonable likelihood of conviction.”
Emilie Kiser has filed a lawsuit seeking to block the release of investigative records tied to Trigg’s death.
Emilie Kiser, 26, is a popular influencer on social media. She has garnered about 4 million followers on TikTok where she features lifestyle content.(Emilie Kiser/Instagram)
Southwest Airlines is rolling out a big change that could impact plus-sized travelers who need more than one seat.
Starting January 27, 2026, travelers who encroach on a neighboring seat will need to buy an additional ticket in advance. Refunds for that second seat won’t be automatic anymore; they’ll only be given if the flight departs with at least one open seat, both seats were purchased in the same fare class, and the refund request is submitted within 90 days of travel.
That’s a sharp contrast with the current setup. Right now, Southwest still has open seating, and plus-sized travelers can either buy an extra seat and get it refunded later or sometimes be accommodated with a complimentary seat at the airport if the flight isn’t full. Once assigned seating takes effect, that option disappears. Show up without booking the space you need, and you’ll be asked to purchase another seat at the airport, or, if the plane is sold out, you may be rebooked on a later flight.
Southwest also notes that customers can’t buy extra seats just to keep an empty seat next to them. The airline says these changes are meant to “ensure all Customers onboard have access to safe and comfortable seating.”
This update is just one in a string of policy shifts from the carrier, which has already moved away from its signature open seating model and introduced baggage fees.
Colorado’s fifth-largest wildfire on record is 90% contained as rain showers and thunderstorms continue across the Western Slope, fire officials said.
As of Monday morning, the Lee fire had consumed 137,758 acres, equal to roughly 215 square miles. The burn area is just two acres short of Colorado’s fourth-largest wildfire on record — the 137,760-acre Hayman fire that sparked in 2002.
Other wildfires burning on Colorado’s Western Slope have scorched thousands of additional acres. Fire officials across the state have said hot, dry and windy conditions fueled the flames’ rapid growth.
Storms over the next several days will bring much-needed rain to the drought-stricken Western Slope, according to the National Weather Service. But those storms also increase the risk of lightning and strong winds — weather that can start fires and fan the flames of those already burning.
A wildland firefighting truck heads down a road through a hillside burned from the Lee fire near Colorado 64 in Rio Blanco County, west of Meeker, on Friday, Aug. 8, 2025. (Photo by Andy Cross/The Denver Post)
Lee and Elk fires, near Meeker
Growth on the largest wildfire burning in Colorado — the fifth-largest ever recorded in the state — has slowed over the past week as firefighters increase containment around the flames.
As of Monday morning, the 137,758-acre Lee fire burning between Meeker and Rifle was 90% contained, fire officials said.
“Minimal work” remains to fully contain the wildfire, Incident Commander Brent Olson said in a Sunday afternoon briefing.
All mandatory evacuation orders were lifted Saturday, but multiple areas around the fire remain on pre-evacuation status. An updated evacuation map for Rio Blanco and Garfield counties is available online.
The Lee fire and nearby Elk fire, which consumed more than 14,500 acres before reaching full containment last week, have together destroyed at least five homes and 14 outbuildings, fire officials said.
Extreme drought, high temperatures and strong winds fueled rapid growth on both fires, which were sparked by lightning west and east of Meeker on Aug. 2.
Rain showers and cooler temperatures helped mitigate the flames last week, which allowed firefighters to steadily increase containment. More showers and thunderstorms are expected in the days ahead as Colorado braces for a monsoonal weather system.
Rain showers and thunderstorms are most likely near Meeker and Rifle between 10 a.m. and 8 p.m. Monday, according to the National Weather Service. Chances of precipitation range from 30% to 50%, forecasters said.
Chances of rain greatly increase later this week in both areas, jumping to 90% Tuesday afternoon and remaining there until 11 a.m. Wednesday, according to hourly forecasts from the weather service.
While the rain is helpful, afternoon thunderstorms also increase the risk of gusty winds, frequent lightning and flash flooding along burn scars, fire officials said.
Heavy rains caused flash flooding in the Lee fire burn area on Sunday afternoon. The water caused a debris flow, which was blocking Piceance Creek Road, officials said in a Sunday afternoon update. It’s unclear if rain caused flooding in the Elk fire burn scar.
A plane drops fire retardant on the Derby fire burning in Eagle County on Aug. 22, 2025. (Photo provided by Derby Fire Information)
Derby fire, in Eagle County
A wildfire burning on the edge of Eagle and Garfield counties has scorched more than 5,300 acres, fire officials said Monday.
The Derby fire is burning on 5,346 acres with no containment, up roughly 100 acres from Sunday and 1,200 acres from Saturday, fire officials said.
Thunderstorm activity and gusty winds have driven the fire south in recent days, meteorologist Ryan Fliehman said in a Sunday afternoon briefing.
Rain showers and thunderstorms started Sunday afternoon and are expected to continue through Wednesday as a “strong monsoonal push of moisture” hits the Western Slope, Fliehman said.
The storms will help dampen the quickly spreading wildfire but may create other problems on the newly charred landscape, like flash flooding, fire officials said.
The Derby fire was discovered on “remote, rugged terrain” in the White River National Forest, about 15 miles from Dotsero in Eagle County, on Aug. 17, according to the U.S. Forest Service.
Mandatory evacuations and pre-evacuations are in place for the northwest corner of Eagle County, including the town of Gypsum, and an eastern section of Garfield County.
Evacuations will be lifted for Sweetwater Valley and Sheep Creek at 10 a.m. Monday, allowing limited access for residents to return home, according to fire officials. Residents will be required to present proof of address at checkpoints along Colorado River Road.
That area will remain on pre-evacuation status and people may be required to re-evacuate if conditions change, fire officials said. Livestock will not be allowed to return yet. The wildfire’s activity remains unpredictable.
“This is not a full repopulation, as the risks are still very high and residents should remain prepared to vacate at any time,” Eagle County Sheriff James Van Beek said in a statement on social media.
Travel within the restricted area must remain extremely limited to protect both residents and fire crews, sheriff’s officials said. The best window for essential travel is between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m., when conditions are safest and least disruptive to emergency operations.
The Eagle County Sheriff’s Office is working on a plan to allow some evacuated residents to access their homes, specifically “those who own property or depend on it for their livelihood,” sheriff’s officials said Sunday. Exact details of that plan were not available, and the evacuation orders remain in place.
At least one building has been destroyed by the wildfire, but it’s unclear what type of building it was.
The U.S. Forest Service also expanded closures in the White River National Forest in Eagle and Garfield counties, including southwest of Sweetwater Lake to the west rim of Deep Creek Canyon. Some BLM lands are also closed, including north and west of Gypsum, north of Coffee Pot Road, west of the Colorado River, east of the White River National Forest boundary and south of Derby Creek.
The Stoner Mesa fire burns in southwestern Colorado’s San Juan National Forest on Saturday, Aug. 23, 2025. (Photo provided by Stoner Mesa Fire Information)
Stoner Mesa fire, near Dolores
The Stoner Mesa fire is burning on 10,233 acres in a remote section of the San Juan National Forest, fire officials said Sunday.
Multiple areas around the fire — including Mavreeso, Gobble Creek, Fish Creek, Johnny Bull Creek, Dunton, Lizard Head, Horse Creek, Rico and Sulfer Creek — remain on “monitor” status, the step before pre-evacuation orders, according to the wildfire’s evacuation map.
All pre-evacuation orders were lifted Saturday, but sections of the San Juan National Forest remain closed for the wildfire.
As of Sunday, the lightning-sparked Stoner Mesa fire was 41% contained.
A Meeker fire department truck stations itself at an out building across from W. Highway 64 as smoke billows on a ridge above it from the Lee fire in Rio Blanco County just outside of Meeker on Thursday, Aug. 7, 2025. (Photo by Andy Cross/The Denver Post)
Air-quality impacts
Air quality alerts for wildfire smoke near the Derby and Stoner Mesa fires were issued Sunday morning by the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment.
The warnings, which include southeastern Dolores County, northeastern Montezuma County, western Eagle County and eastern Garfield County, will remain active through at least 9 a.m. Monday.
Smoke will be heaviest in the areas near the fires, especially during the overnight and early morning hours, state health officials said. Incoming storm systems should help improve air quality near the fires.
Smoky conditions are most hazardous for young children, older adults and people with heart disease or respiratory illnesses, according to state health officials.
All residents should limit outdoor activity when heavy smoke is present. If visibility drops to 5 miles or less, the smoke has reached unhealthy levels.
For the first time, Coloradans have a clear picture of where they can go for sometimes-controversial health services such as abortion, gender-affirming care or medical aid-in-dying.
In much of the state, though, the answer is “nowhere close.”
Hospitals are required to disclose data about restrictions on 66 services related to reproductive, gender-affirming and end-of-life care to the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment under a law passed in 2023. Starting this month, they also must provide copies of their disclosure forms to patients ahead of their appointments.
Only three Colorado counties — Denver, Douglas and Weld — have unrestricted access in at least one hospital to three services from the list that The Denver Post sampled.
Access to gender-affirming surgery was especially limited; only 13 of Colorado’s 64 counties have a hospital without non-medical restrictions on a double mastectomy, also known as “top surgery,” for gender affirmation. (Eighteen counties have no hospital within their borders, and the rest either don’t offer mastectomies to anyone or restricted who could receive one.)
Nor was access to the other sampled services much broader.
Thirteen Colorado counties have a hospital that would assist with a request for medical aid-in-dying without religious or other non-medical limitations, and 15 have one that would provide comprehensive treatment for a miscarriage, which can include drugs and procedures used in induced abortions.
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Facilities that restrict the services they offer aren’t likely to make changes because of the law — particularly since many of the restrictions stem from religious beliefs — but at least patients will know what to expect when they go for care, said Dr. Patricia Gabow, a former CEO of Denver Health who has written about the intersection of religion and health care.
Of course, transparency only does so much for people who live in a county where the only hospitals are Catholic-owned, Gabow said. Catholic hospitals, which include those owned by CommonSpirit Health and some belonging to Intermountain Health, generally don’t offer contraception, sterilization, gender-affirming care, medical aid-in-dying or abortion.
“People who live in Durango, I don’t know what they’re supposed to do,” she said.
Mercy Hospital in that city follows Catholic ethical and religious directives for health care, and the closest hospital that offers comprehensive reproductive services or assistance with medical aid-in-dying is in Del Norte, about two and a half hours away.
Catholic doctrine requires health care providers to “respect all stages of life,” and not participate in procedures such as medical aid-in-dying or sterilization without a medical reason, said Lindsay Radford, spokeswoman for CommonSpirit Health, which owns Mercy.
The system’s hospitals work with patients and their families to provide appropriate pain and symptom relief as they near death, she said.
“We respect and honor the physician-patient relationship, and medical decisions are made by a patient and their doctor. Patients who seek care at a CommonSpirit Health hospital or clinic are fully informed of all treatment options, including those we do not perform,” she said in a statement.
Geographic and political differences
Generally, access to potentially controversial services was greater in more areas with larger populations, though with significant exceptions.
Both of Jefferson County’s hospitals, St. Anthony Hospital in Lakewood and Lutheran Hospital in Wheat Ridge, won’t allow measures to end a pregnancy if a fetus still has a heartbeat.
The state’s form conflates “threatened” and “completed” miscarriages, said Sara Quale, spokeswoman for Intermountain Health, which owns Lutheran Hospital. The hospital doesn’t restrict care once a fetus has died, but if it still has a heartbeat, doctors attempt to treat whatever is causing the miscarriage, she said. The most common cause of miscarriages is a problem with a fetus’s chromosomes, which doesn’t allow it to survive and has no treatment.
In contrast, people in rural Prowers County on the Eastern Plains can get comprehensive miscarriage treatment without driving elsewhere. So can residents of Rio Grande County.
Local politics also don’t necessarily match up with access.
The three counties that had at least one hospital offering unrestricted access to the three sampled services were deep-blue Denver and thoroughly red Weld and Douglas.
While their residents might differ on many issues, Weld and Douglas counties shared one common characteristic with Denver: They’re home to at least one hospital owned by a secular system, such as UCHealth, Denver Health or HCA HealthOne.
At least 22 hospitals in Colorado have religious restrictions on care options: 17 owned or formerly owned by Catholic organizations, and five affiliated with the Adventist faith. In some cases, when a hospital changes hands, provisions of the deal require the new owner to honor the seller’s religious and ethical rules, even if the buyer is secular.
Some secular organizations also listed certain services as restricted.
UCHealth generally doesn’t serve patients under 15, while Denver Health doesn’t provide abortions under certain circumstances because of concerns about losing federal funding, spokesman Dane Roper said.
The seven HealthOne hospitals also had non-religious restrictions, but didn’t specify their nature. Banner Health didn’t respond to inquiries about service limitations at its five Colorado hospitals.
Informed decision-making
So far, Colorado is the only state that requires hospitals to directly tell patients when they don’t offer services for religious or other non-medical reasons, said Alison Gill, vice president of legal and policy with American Atheists, which supported the law as it went through the legislature.
That provision will be important not only for Coloradans seeking care, but for people traveling to the state because of its welcoming policies around reproductive and gender-affirming care, she said.
“We are encouraging other states to enact similar provisions because it is essential to provide patients with information about service availability so that they can make informed decisions about their health care,” she said.
The law has some limitations, said Gabow, formerly of Denver Health. For example, an outpatient gynecology office owned by a religious health system doesn’t have to give patients the disclosure form, and insurers don’t have to include hospitals offering care without limitations in their networks, she said.
Colorado’s law won’t inherently increase access to health care, but it may prevent surprises for patients who don’t know to look up the closest hospital’s religious affiliation or don’t realize it could affect them, said Dr. Sam Doernberg, a physician researcher at Brigham & Women’s Hospital in Boston.
Doernberg wrote a study that found 132 counties nationwide had “religious monopolies” in their hospital markets as of 2020. The vast majority involved Catholic hospitals, and 11 involved Adventist hospitals. The study didn’t include counties that don’t have a hospital and are adjacent to a monopoly county, so the actual number where people don’t have the full range of choices may be higher, he said.
While no states have tried them yet, researchers do have a few ideas to more directly increase access to care while still respecting the religious rights of organizations that own hospitals, Doernberg said.
For example, they could directly fund public health departments so they can provide more reproductive services in areas where the dominant health system limits options, or they could require that insurance companies don’t charge patients an out-of-network rate if none of the in-network hospitals offer gender-affirming care, for example, he said.
“There are other possible solutions that are not currently being pursued,” he said.
The chief of the Center Police Department and a sergeant, twin brothers, have been charged with theft and placed on administrative leave.
Aaron Fresquez, the police chief, and Sgt. Adam Fresquez are accused of operating a private K-9 training business while on duty at the department in the San Luis Valley and using city resources. The 35-year-old brothers trained dogs for other police agencies and then kept the money that should have gone to the town of Center, the Colorado Bureau of Investigation said in a statement Friday.
Aaron Fresquez was also cited with a misdemeanor count of official misconduct.
The charges were filed after a yearlong investigation by the CBI at the request of the 12th Judicial District Attorney. The district attorney has asked the 6th Judicial District Attorney’s Office serve as special prosecutors to avoid a conflict of interest.
The brothers were served summons to appear in the court at a later date.
The city has appointed Lt. Eidy Guaderama as interim police chief.
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Southwest Airlines is shifting to assigned seats for the first time in its history, a change that will allow the low-fare carrier to charge a premium for some of the seats on its planes.The airline will also start offering overnight “red-eye” flights for the first time, which it said will improve the efficiency by increasing the use of its aircraft.Southwest said customers were clamoring for these changes – when people switch to a competitor from Southwest, the company said the No. 1 reason the unhappy passengers cite is open seating. But the change will also help the company charge some passengers more for their tickets.“The research is clear and indicates that 80% of Southwest customers, and 86% of potential customers, prefer an assigned seat,” said the airline in a statement. “By moving to an assigned seating model, Southwest expects to broaden its appeal and attract more flying from its current and future customers.”Southwest did not give details about when the changes will go into effect, but it said it would be discussed further in September.A tectonic shiftThe airline had announced in April that it was looking at a change in its seating policy that has been in effect for its entire 50 year history. Southwest is under pressure from activist investors who have been pushing for changes in management and growth in profitability.Southwest has long been known as a low-cost, low-fare carrier, but it has been facing competition from the three other major carriers, American, United and Delta, which get much of their revenue from charging more for premium seating. It also faces growing rivalries on the other end of the spectrum: ultra-low cost carriers, such as Spirit and Frontier, which offer bargain-priced seats for which customers have to pay extra for just about anything including carry on bags.Southwest doesn’t charge for carry on bags and has long allowed passengers to check two bags for free. The airline also doesn’t charge customers to change flights.The company made no mention in its statement about whether it will change its baggage or change fee policy. The premium seats, which will offer more legroom, will not be available until 2025 as it will require reconfiguring its planes.An ailing businessSouthwest used to be the most profitable U.S. airline. But that is no longer the case.Thursday, it reported a 51% drop in profit to $370 million, despite reporting record revenue for the quarter.Although Southwest still has the healthiest credit rating of any U.S. airline, it has been struggling with a number of issues in recent years – some as a result of its own mismanagement, but some because of outside factors and changing industry dynamics.The airline went 47 consecutive years without reporting an annual loss – until 2020, when the pandemic nearly halted all demand for air travel.Southwest’s fleet is made up entirely of Boeing 737 jets. That had reduced its operating costs, because it allowed its pilots to fly any of its planes, giving it a flexibility and efficiency not available to its larger rivals. But it also made it most susceptible to Boeing’s substantial problems in recent years – both a 20-month grounding of the 737 Max in 2019 and 2020 following two fatal crashes, and a slowdown in production this year due to concerns about the quality and safety of its planes.But its low-cost efforts also hurt Southwest at times, most notably in December 2022, when its suffered a catastrophic service meltdown that caused it to cancel about 17,000 flights, or nearly half of its schedule, during the busy holiday travel period. While other airlines recovered quickly from a winter storm that month, Southwest’s computer technology, denounced as “antiquated” by its unions, made it difficult for it to schedule its pilots and flight attendants and resume normal operations.That meltdown cost Southwest around $1 billion, including a $140 million fine. But it underwent a massive update to its technology since then, and notably, Southwest managed to recover quickly from the global tech outage last week. This time, it was rival Delta that took days to recover.
NEW YORK —
Southwest Airlines is shifting to assigned seats for the first time in its history, a change that will allow the low-fare carrier to charge a premium for some of the seats on its planes.
The airline will also start offering overnight “red-eye” flights for the first time, which it said will improve the efficiency by increasing the use of its aircraft.
Southwest said customers were clamoring for these changes – when people switch to a competitor from Southwest, the company said the No. 1 reason the unhappy passengers cite is open seating. But the change will also help the company charge some passengers more for their tickets.
“The research is clear and indicates that 80% of Southwest customers, and 86% of potential customers, prefer an assigned seat,” said the airline in a statement. “By moving to an assigned seating model, Southwest expects to broaden its appeal and attract more flying from its current and future customers.”
Southwest did not give details about when the changes will go into effect, but it said it would be discussed further in September.
A tectonic shift
The airline had announced in April that it was looking at a change in its seating policy that has been in effect for its entire 50 year history. Southwest is under pressure from activist investors who have been pushing for changes in management and growth in profitability.
Southwest has long been known as a low-cost, low-fare carrier, but it has been facing competition from the three other major carriers, American, United and Delta, which get much of their revenue from charging more for premium seating. It also faces growing rivalries on the other end of the spectrum: ultra-low cost carriers, such as Spirit and Frontier, which offer bargain-priced seats for which customers have to pay extra for just about anything including carry on bags.
Southwest doesn’t charge for carry on bags and has long allowed passengers to check two bags for free. The airline also doesn’t charge customers to change flights.
The company made no mention in its statement about whether it will change its baggage or change fee policy. The premium seats, which will offer more legroom, will not be available until 2025 as it will require reconfiguring its planes.
An ailing business
Southwest used to be the most profitable U.S. airline. But that is no longer the case.
Thursday, it reported a 51% drop in profit to $370 million, despite reporting record revenue for the quarter.
Although Southwest still has the healthiest credit rating of any U.S. airline, it has been struggling with a number of issues in recent years – some as a result of its own mismanagement, but some because of outside factors and changing industry dynamics.
The airline went 47 consecutive years without reporting an annual loss – until 2020, when the pandemic nearly halted all demand for air travel.
Southwest’s fleet is made up entirely of Boeing 737 jets. That had reduced its operating costs, because it allowed its pilots to fly any of its planes, giving it a flexibility and efficiency not available to its larger rivals. But it also made it most susceptible to Boeing’s substantial problems in recent years – both a 20-month grounding of the 737 Max in 2019 and 2020 following two fatal crashes, and a slowdown in production this year due to concerns about the quality and safety of its planes.
But its low-cost efforts also hurt Southwest at times, most notably in December 2022, when its suffered a catastrophic service meltdown that caused it to cancel about 17,000 flights, or nearly half of its schedule, during the busy holiday travel period. While other airlines recovered quickly from a winter storm that month, Southwest’s computer technology, denounced as “antiquated” by its unions, made it difficult for it to schedule its pilots and flight attendants and resume normal operations.
That meltdown cost Southwest around $1 billion, including a $140 million fine. But it underwent a massive update to its technology since then, and notably, Southwest managed to recover quickly from the global tech outage last week. This time, it was rival Delta that took days to recover.
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