EXCLUSIVE: Southwest Chief Pilot Sends Absolutely Bonkers Email to 760 Colleagues
Michael Hawkes, who's being sued by another SWA pilot, quotes Mormon scripture about “false testimonies from former friends turned enemies” in an email from his official SWA account
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What in the jumping Jehosephat is going on over at Southwest Airlines?
The latest in a series of too-insane-to-be-true management missteps happened on Mother’s Day when a lengthy email went out to 760-plus Orlando-based pilots by Chief Pilot Michael Hawkes—from his official Southwest Airlines email address.
The email, which I’m told was pretty much apropos of nothing related to Southwest business, started off innocently enough.
“Below are a few thoughts,” Hawkes writes after some standard holiday greetings in the May 14 missive.
Under a title “Enduring Well,” Hawkes relays the dictionary definitions of both “enduring” and “well,” then launches into an anecdote about chatting with a friend about “enduring well.”
After that the letter goes off the rails pretty quickly. Its content is inappropriate for the workplace on a variety of levels, and I’m hearing the Orlando base grapevine kicked into gear when it hit hundreds of inboxes.
There’s religious scripture that a hefty portion of Southwest employees of different faiths will likely not appreciate. There’s the specter of the idea of the message potentially being viewed as witness tampering. And there’s the potential that some recipients might feel intimidated by its contents.
Why? Because one recipient of the email was Captain Christine Janning, a fellow Southwest pilot who is suing Hawkes, her boss, for slander, libel and retaliation in a case related to an alleged sexual assault by yet another Orlando-based Southwest pilot named Michael Haak.
Janning is one of around 3% of women pilots at Southwest, which means around 97% of the email’s recipients were men she works with—and I’m told there’s a lot of internet chatter about her case among Southwest personnel. They all know who Janning is and what she’s suing Hawkes for. (I’ve reached out to her attorney for comment and will update the story if I hear back). (UPDATE: After posting, I heard back from Janning’s lawyer Frank Podesta, who told me that in his opinion, “It was an extremely unprofessional and inappropriate thing to write, especially during the pendency of this case. I hope this is not reflective of the conduct of all SWA managment, and is not representative of the overall SWA culture.” ).
A Billowing Surge
The email has a fire and brimstone vibe to it, or in this case specifically, a “billowing surge” and “fierce winds.”
“Currently, we find ourselves in trying times, yet there are many silver linings,” Hawkes writes in a preamble to foisting religious scripture on people presumably of many different faiths.
This line alone is odd enough coming from a boss. How does Hawkes know that 760 pilots are going through trying times? And if true, why doesn’t he name one precise “trying time?” And what are the “silver linings?”
Next, he says he is reminded of a story. I figured out which story with a simple Google search. (Do you know what it’s about without searching it?)
“In the winter of 1838-39, on the western frontier of the United States, a young preacher was imprisoned by false testimonies from former friends turned enemies,” Hawkes writes. “He could have been bitter at these individuals, the terrible living conditions and freezing temperatures, or for his wife and children, who were left homeless in the cold Missouri winter.”
He adds that “The following words came when he asked God why he and others should suffer and pass through these trials.” Then we are treated to lines of scripture, seen in the screenshot from the Hawkes email below in light brown:
He is relaying words of the Mormon Prophet Joseph Smith as written in the Doctrines and Covenants book from the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints; this is a story of Smith being imprisoned due to “false testimonies” from his enemies where the “billowing surge conspire against thee.”
This is the one passage he included in the email, but the theme of the full epistle is clear, and you can read the rest of it here with its talk of “enemies,” “false brethren” and “false accusastions.”
Allegations Against Hawkes: Calling Janning a ‘Slut’ & a ‘Whore’
Hawkes doesn’t mention names, but his email could be interpreted to mean he’s comparing himself to a prophet who is the victim of false accusations, and with the use of Southwest’s email servers as a conduit, his message could be perceived as a veiled reference to Janning’s case against him.
She alleges Hawkes and SWA Capt. David Newton “openly discussed, with several Southwest personnel and other individuals, the claim that Ms. Janning was a ‘slut’ and a ‘whore.’”
I feel like this language is kind of unbecoming for a man of god?
Janning’s suit also says her bosses Hawkes and Newton put defamatory words in writing and sent them around to their and Janning’s colleagues. This alleged conduct formed the basis for claims of slander (defamation by spoken word) and libel (defamation by the written word) against both men.
I have contacted Hawkes and Southwest and have received no response. We don’t know what someone’s going through in their personal life. We don’t know what they’ve endured, what baggage they’re carrying, or what they’ve suffered (this is a good thing to remember in all interactions).
But, and it’s a big but: the chief pilot, a man in a position of serious responsibility, sent the letter to over 760 Orlando-based Southwest Airlines pilots from an official SWA email address, which showed staggeringly poor judgment.
If it had been posted to a private social media page, sent to church friends or written to almost anyone other than the people who work under Hawkes at the publicly traded company he’s a manager at, I would’ve looked at it, cringed, and moved on. But this was widely disseminated. This is a big deal.
Here I’ve embedded the amended complaint that Janning’s attorneys filed in January of 2023, which connects Hawkes’ alleged actions to Janning’s alleged traumatic experiences in the cockpit with Captain Michael Haak. It’s worth a read.
Janning and her attorney reveal her ongoing fear of retaliation by Hawkes, who she has reported to SWA bosses in the past for what she says is retaliation, slander and defamation.
Against that backdrop, his email could be damaging and hurtful on many levels. Considering there is ongoing litigation involving many parties under the Southwest umbrella, sending this kind of communication to a potential witness pool seems dicey and possibly legally shaky? I’m not a lawyer, but…
Over its 44 detail-packed pages, Janning’s filing shines a spotlight on Southwest’s alleged toxic and pervasive “Old Boys’ Club” culture, one her complaint says is “the perfect breeding ground” for what happened to her.
Back to the email…
Hawkes signs off in the Mother’s Day email with, “I know we can get through this ‘winter’ together. Thank you for your example and friendship. Much Love, Mike.”
Enough said.
I’ll update the story as more information comes in.
Have a restful and peaceful Memorial Day weekend as we remember and honor those who lost their lives in service of this country. Thank you for reading.
-Sara
In my experience a Chief Pilot is usually the pawn of the Dir of Operations. These men are exceptionally united to avoid justice/payouts/lawsuits against the corporation. CP’s do the thug work. Attacking women is initially regarded as child’s play, they expect women to fold as easily as men do to the pecking order. This CP is afraid. Good.
I have heard too many SWA pilots display horrible lack of professionalism tying up emerg radio frequency with childish “Brandon” heckling.