Southwest promoted five executives just weeks after a disastrous meltdown

Southwest Airlines announced seasonal sales and leadership promotions just weeks after a historic failure that affected hundreds of thousands of passengers.

The carrier promoted five executives to even higher positions of responsibility. All have worked years for Southwest, some more than two decades. The company said no one was demoted.

The announcement runs counter to what some expected — that heads would roll after the company canceled nearly 17,000 flights over the past few weeks.

Southwest also rolled out sales for select destinations. The company says they're seasonal and aren't in response to the meltdown.

Still, analysts expect low fares could rekindle some customer interest. This year's sales though, priced at $49 one way to select cities, aren't as low as last year's $29 deals.

This piece originally aired on KERA News.