Flying with Southwest Airlines...

May not be a good idea until after the Christmas holiday.

Reports from the Federal Aviation Administration say unapproved parts were installed on over 80 Southwest air crafts. The unapproved parts are shields that deflect hot engine exhaust away from control flaps on the wings. These shields extend from the back of each wing to allow a plane to fly at slower speeds during landing and takeoff. FAA spokesman Lynn Lunsford said the parts do not present "an immediate safety danger," says USAToday. The FAA is allowing Southwest to continue flying the air crafts as long as they are inspected every seven days and the unapproved parts are replaced by December 24th.

Southwest "lobbied for more time to fix the problem" says The Chicago Tribune. The airline argued that the parts in question are scarce. With only four months to find replacement parts Southwest must hustle to get their planes through inspection or suffer FAA penalties and suspension of nearly 10 percent of its planes.

I wish I would have known this sooner.....I just flew with Southwest last week. No problems...that was the first and last time I'll book a flight with them. While its nice to save a few bucks on a plane ticket, my safety and life is PRICELESS!!!