The Department of Transportation is widening its investigation into last month's meltdown at Southwest Airlines that stranded thousands of passengers across the country.
The Transportation Department says it's looking into whether Southwest Airlines intentionally scheduled more flights in late December than it could realistically handle. The department says doing so would be considered an unfair and deceptive practice under federal law.
Southwest says its December schedule was, in its words, thoughtfully designed with a solid plan to operate it with ample staffing.
The airline blames the travel issues on a massive winter storm for the staffing problems it experienced, leaving to more than 16,000 cancelled flights and more than 100,000 stranded passengers.
"With regard to the operational disruptions, I am deeply sorry for the impact to our Employees and Customers," said Southwest President and CEO Bob Jordan during a Thursday earnings call. "We have swiftly taken steps to bolster our operational resilience and are undergoing a detailed review of the December events. In addition, our Board of Directors has established an Operations Review Committee that is working with the Company's Management to help oversee the Company's response. As part of our efforts, we are also conducting a third-party review of the December events and are reexamining the priority of technology and other investments planned in 2023."
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