After canceling thousands of flights this holiday week, Southwest Airlines is under examination by the U.S. Department of Transportation.
“USDOT is concerned by Southwest’s unacceptable rate of cancellations and delays & reports of lack of prompt customer service,” the department said in a tweet. “The Department will examine whether cancellations were controllable and if Southwest is complying with its customer service plan.”
According to FlightAware, 71% of the flights canceled around the world Monday were Southwest Airlines flights. That day the airline canceled nearly 3,000 flights.
As of 6:20 p.m. ET Tuesday, the airline still accounted for 64% of the canceled flights tracked by FlightAware, more than 2,600 flights. Though Southwest has the most impacted flights, storms and cold weather fronts across the U.S. have impacted all types of travel this holiday season.
Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg spoke with union leaders and the CEO of Southwest Airlines Monday “to convey the Department’s expectation that Southwest meet its obligations to passengers and workers and take steps to prevent a situation like this from happening again,” said the department Tuesday.
Southwest also issued a press release and apology about the issue with canceled flights Tuesday. For the next several days the airline will operate at one-third of its schedule, it said.
“We were fully staffed and prepared for the approaching holiday weekend when the severe weather swept across the continent, where Southwest is the largest carrier in 23 of the top 25 travel markets in the U.S.,” said the company. “These operational conditions forced daily changes of an unprecedented volume and magnitude to our flight schedule and the tools our teams use to recover the airline remain at capacity.”
In the release, Southwest also said the volume of cancellations is “unacceptable.”
Southwest’s customer service plan includes meal vouchers and hotels where available to passengers who are experiencing significant delays and cancellations, said the Department of Transportation.
Related
Related
