He vowed to hold the airline accountable and push it to reimburse travelers. He noted that while cancellations across the rest of the industry declined to about 4% of scheduled flights, they remained above 60% at Southwest.įrom the high rate of cancellations to customers’ inability to reach Southwest on the phone, the airline’s performance has been unacceptable, Buttigieg said. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg, who has criticized airlines for previous disruptions, said that “meltdown” was the only word he could think of to describe this week’s events at Southwest. “For now, I want you to know that we are committed to that.” “We have some real work to do in making this right,” said Jordan, a 34-year Southwest veteran who became CEO in February. In a video that Southwest posted late Tuesday, CEO Robert Jordan said Southwest would operate a reduced schedule for several days but hoped to be “back on track before next week.”
A Senate committee promises to investigate too. Transportation Department is now investigating what happened at Southwest, which carries more passengers within the United States than any other airline. were on Southwest, according to the FlightAware tracking service. “I’m starting to feel homeless.”īy early afternoon on the East Coast, about 90% of all canceled flights Wednesday in the U.S. The airline’s CEO said it could be next week before the flight schedule returns to normal.Īdontis Barber, a 34-year-old jazz pianist from Kansas City, Missouri, had camped out in the city’s airport since his Southwest flight was canceled Saturday, hoping to reach a New Year’s gig in Washington, D.C. Digital Replica Edition Home Page Close Menuīy DAVID KOENIG and HEATHER HOLLINGSWORTHĭALLAS (AP) - Travelers who counted on Southwest Airlines to get them home suffered another wave of canceled flights Wednesday, and pressure grew on the federal government to help customers get reimbursed for unexpected expenses they incurred because of the airline’s meltdown.Įxhausted Southwest travelers tried finding seats on other airlines or renting cars to get to their destination, but many remained stranded.
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