Southwest Airlines Flight Attendant Terminated During Her Probation is Now Suing The Carrier For $5 Million

An ex-Southwest Airlines flight attendant who was fired by the Dallas-based carrier during her probation is now suing the airline for a staggering $5 million, accusing Southwest of gross violations of the Railway Labor Act, which governs work rules within the aviation industry.

Bianca Hughley of Maryland was one of a small number of lucky aspiring flight attendants who managed to land a coveted job with Southwest Airlines in late 2021 when the carrier opened up flight attendant recruitment for just four hours on a random November day.Like many flight attendants will know, however, getting a conditional job offer doesn’t mean anything until you’ve passed an intensive training course and got through your probationary period unscathed.

Unfortunately, Bianca found herself under management scrutiny during her probation, and before she knew it, she had her flight attendant wings clipped after her employment was terminated.

Bianca has now filed a lawsuit against Southwest in a Maryland district court over the way she was fired, claiming that the airline and the flight attendant union failed to abide by her lawful rights under the Railway Labor Act.The lawsuit doesn’t explain what Bianca did that got her in trouble with Southwest’s HR department, but that isn’t the point of this lawsuit. Bianca argues that she should have had the right to file a grievance against the disciplinary proceedings being brought against her but was denied that right.

In fact, Southwest reportedly decided back in 2013 that flight attendants no longer have the right to grievance proceedings until they have passed their probation. That policy was further solidified in 2024 when flight attendants ratified a new contract that exempts probationary crew members from filing grievances.The lawsuit lists a slew of alleged violations of the Railway Labor Act, including placing a duty on airlines to settle disputes with their employees through a grievance process.

Bianca believes that she would have been earning around $40,000 a year as a junior Southwest flight attendant, meaning that she has currently lost out on more than $100,000 in wages.

The claim against Southwest, however, seeks $5 million in damages, as well as reinstatement to her position as a flight attendant at the airline.

Bianca is claiming the same amount in compensation as a ‘pro-life’ Southwest flight attendant won in 2022 after she was sacked by the airline for alleged bullying over her anti-abortion social media posts.

At the culmination of the six-year legal battle in 2022, Charlene Carter convinced a North Texas jury that the flight attendant union had unlawfully discriminated against her and failed to accommodate her sincerely held religious beliefs.

The court initially awarded Carter a total of $5.3 million in compensation, of which Southwest will have to pay $4.15 million in back pay and compensation for pain and suffering. The union has been ordered to compensate the remaining $1.15 million.

Several months later, however, a federal judge reduced the payout by nearly 85% after concluding the initial compensation award breached federal law caps on punitive and compensatory damages.