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Southwest Airlines hires former St. Louis-area congressman as lobbyist

Southwest hired Jerry Costello to help deal with the fallout from its scheduling disaster.
Credit: Southwest Airlines

ST. LOUIS — Southwest Airlines has hired former St. Louis-area Congressman Jerry Costello as a federal lobbyist, as it deals with fallout from its scheduling meltdown last month.

Politico reports that the Dallas airline, which has the biggest market share at St. Louis Lambert International Airport, earlier this month hired Costello, who served in the U.S. House, representing Illinois districts, from 1988 to 2013. Costello, who launched his consulting business in 2013, previously was chair of the aviation subcommittee of the House Transportation and Infrastructure panel.

Politico said Costello's hiring represented the first new addition to Southwest's roster of outside lobbyists, which already includes fellow former Missouri lawmakers Kit Bond and Kenny Hulshof, since 2018. The airline spent $1.1 million on federal lobbying last year, according to Politico.

Congress is working on a Federal Aviation Administration funding reauthorization, the news outlet said.

Southwest Airlines Co. plans to spend $1.3 billion on technology upgrades and maintenance this year as part of a plan laid out by executives to rectify the issues that led to the holiday operations meltdown that impacted travelers across the country, including at Lambert.

Click here for the full story from the St. Louis Business Journal.

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