Southwest Airlines flights were delayed during the holiday weekend and beyond, and the Department of Transportation is investigating.
Southwest experienced the most significant difficulties due to the winter storm that slammed the United States just before Christmas.
To date, Southwest has canceled 1,635 Christmas Day flights. Since last Monday, 1,200 more flights each week have been interrupted, bringing the total to 71% of the airline’s flights. That day, Southwest was responsible for canceling 73% of flights.
The DOT has provided updated information on the procedure of its investigations in response to widespread misunderstandings.
Dissatisfied passengers frequently complained to the DOT about Southwest’s service, delays, and cancellations. Government officials have pledged to investigate Southwest Airlines to determine the quality of its customer service in light of recent flight cancellations.
Despite “severe winter weather,” Southwest stated in a statement that it is “recovering” from “operational problems.”
Southwest Airlines is the most popular airline during inclement weather in 23 out of the top 25 airport hubs in the United States. Despite having everything they needed, the boss insisted that everyone take extra time off work to prepare for the upcoming holiday weekend.
The airline announced it would operate on a “reduced schedule by flying about one-third of our schedule for the next several days” until things returned to normal because “these operational conditions forced daily changes to our flight schedule at a volume and magnitude that still has the tools our teams use to get the airline operating at capacity.”
Southwest’s priority is the well-being of its customers. The delay has even angered Air Canada.
More than 63% of Southwest flights were canceled as of 11:20 a.m. EST on Tuesday, November 20.