Southwest cancels 4,800 more flights as DOT investigates: NPR

Hundreds of thousands of travelers hoping to fly on Southwest Airlines this week risk being left in limbo for a few more days.

After canceling about 13,000 flights over the past few days, the airline plans to remain on a reduced flight schedule for a few more days, its CEO said in a statement Tuesday evening.

All domestic airlines are back to pre-storm delay and cancellation levels after being thrown off balance late last week by a severe winter storm. Yet Southwest Airlines, plagued by staffing shortages and an outdated scheduling system, is still crippled.

As of 9:30 a.m. ET Wednesday, Southwest had canceled 2,508 flights for the day, representing 62% of its scheduled flights, according to FlightAware.

Thursday isn’t looking too good either: 2,348 Southwest flights have already been removed from the departure boards.

Southwest CEO admits a system upgrade is overdue

Denver International Airport and Chicago Midway International have the highest number of cancellations.

But queues of passengers hoping for a rebooking snake around Southwest counters from coast to coast. Baltimore, Las Vegas, Nashville, Dallas, Phoenix and San Diego airports all see more than 80 outbound flight cancellations from Southwest and other airlines.

In a video statement, airline CEO Bob Jordan said Southwest aims to “get back on track before next week.”

“After days of trying to squeeze as much of our full schedule over the busy holiday weekend, we have reached a decision point to significantly reduce our flights to catch up,” he said.

“Obviously we need to double down on our already existing plans to upgrade systems for these extreme circumstances so that we never have to deal with what is happening right now again.”

Department of Transportation promises to hold Southwest accountable

Jordan also said he’s been in touch with Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg about Southwest’s customer service commitments.

Passengers say the lack of communication from the company has been particularly frustrating. Some didn’t know their flight had been canceled until they checked the status online. Others say they waited hours to speak to a Southwest representative on the phone.

In an interview with PBS NewshourButtigieg called the practices “unacceptable” and threatened to hold the airline to its own stated intentions.

“We’re going to expect them to go above and beyond the letter of the law in how they treat passengers, making sure they pay for things like hotels, travel expenses ground, meals and of course reimbursements,” Buttigieg said.

“I’ll be watching very closely to make sure they follow through.”

This isn’t the first time the DOT has threatened to crack down on the airline industry’s operational shortcomings.

When thousands of flights were canceled due to staff shortages in June, Buttigieg met with the CEOs of major national airlines and asked them to detail how they would settle the transactions in writing.

Casey Murray, president of the Southwest Airlines Pilot Association, says blame for the collapse of Southwest should be placed on the company’s reliance on technology and procedures from the 90s, when the company was half its size.

“Employees were on their own. […] They haven’t been given the tools to do their jobs, nor the leadership to answer questions and be able to provide solutions,” he said. told NPR morning edition.

The airline industry has long been wary of regulations, saying they ultimately put the cost burden on the customer. And Murray agrees that Southwest is in a better position than, say, the DOT to decide what needs to change.

“But those passengers need to be taken care of,” Murray said. “They lost not only time and money, but also memories with their families.”

According to DOT rules, canceled flights must be quickly rebooked or refunded

Congress is also looking at whether the airline will compensate customers. The Senate Commerce Committee will launch an investigation, its chairman announced Tuesday.

Under current DOT rules, any passenger whose flight has been canceled is entitled to a prompt cash refund of the full cost, as well as any additional purchases such as baggage fees or seat assignments.

Southwest says all customers traveling through Jan. 2, 2023 have the option to rebook or travel on hold at no cost. But for those looking to get cash payment, the company has opened a special self-service portal for processing.

Federal reimbursement rules are still in a gray area when it comes to major flight delays or related costs such as hotel rooms or ground transportation. Southwest says it will fund those costs for overnight delays that were within their control, but it is unclear whether they will honor this policy given the role weather initially played in the delays.

Democratic senses Edward Markey and Richard Blumenthal, who have offered to clarify these rules in previous flights, released a statement on Tuesday, calling on Southwest to issue “significant monetary compensation” to customers whose vacations “were ruined.”

“Southwest plans to issue a $428 million dividend next year – the company can afford to do good for consumers it has hurt,” they wrote.