Southwest Fined Peanuts for Their Safety Violations.....

Wow....2.8 million.  That will teach them.

http://abcnews.go.com/Business/wireStory/southwest-pay-28-million-settle-faa-lawsuit-35896126

FAA Administrator Michael Huerta said the settlement give Southwest strong incentives to correct problems discovered by FAA investigators.  

(Yes where will they ever come up with 2.8 million.  I bet they are emptying their piggy bank right now.  Way to bring the hammer down.....)

The FAA charged that from 2006 to 2009 Southwest used 44 Boeing 737 planes that had undergone improper fuselage repairs. According to Boeing instructions, when repairs are made to overlapping aluminum panels that make up a plane's fuselage, workers are to apply sealant between the panels and install new fasteners within a limited time.

ATS workers placed fasteners in only some of the rivet holes during the allowed time, and they didn't properly support the fuselage during the work, the FAA charged.

The FAA said it alerted Southwest about the improper work in April 2009 but the airline continued to use the planes for another six months before doing further repair work.

The FAA also said Southwest flew two planes in 2012 after workers failed to move electrical wiring when altering systems that drain wastewater from galleys and lavatory sinks, which could create a fire risk in event of a lightning strike.