29, 2022.Īmong the efforts Southwest undertook since the meltdown was a big push to prepare for snow and ice. Since last year, however, Southwest officials say they've put money into technological upgrades and de-icing improvements to better prepare their operation to handle logistical snags posed by severe weather.ĪP A woman walks through unclaimed bags at Southwest Airlines baggage claim at Salt Lake City International Airport on Dec. The company also said in a regulatory filing last month that it may face a fine from the Department of Transportation after it determined that the airline "failed to provide adequate customer service assistance, prompt flight status notifications, and proper and prompt refunds." Southwest estimates the fiasco cost it as much as $825 million in operating expenses and reimbursements and acknowledged that it saw a dip in bookings in January and February. was hit with a destructive blizzard in December that snarled operations for multiple airlines, including Southwest.īut what could have been a brief hiccup for the airline turned into a major crisis due, in part, to outdated computer systems and other technical setbacks. "We are now so much better prepared for these extreme weather events," he said. It weighs heavily on all of us here at Southwest Airlines," the carrier's chief operating officer, Andrew Watterson, said during an October earnings call with investors. "The disruption we had last winter was really hard on our customers and our employees. The debacle cost Southwest hundreds of millions in lost revenue, prompted scrutiny from congressional investigators and led once-loyal customers to swear off the airline once and for all.īut this year, the airline says it's invested in new weather equipment and upgraded its technology ahead of the holiday rush in a bid to reassure customers and avoid a repeat of last year's performance. Many would-be fliers were unable to rebook their flights or rent a car. Nearly one year later, Southwest is hoping for a do-over from last year's holiday meltdown, when a combination of extreme winter weather and a cascading set of technical problems led the airline to cancel 16,700 flights over a 10-day period in December. Over a 10-day period last December, the airline cancelled more than 16,000 flights. AP Travelers wade through the line for service at the Southwest Airlines check-in counter in Denver International Airport on Dec. Musk: ‘Thermonuclear lawsuit’ coming for Media Matters, others after. Trump power grab comes into focus in leaked Georgia videos Walls close in on George Santos amid mounting political, legal drama Senate Republicans get ready to roll Tuberville on military holdsĪngst as Osama bin Laden letter goes viralĬhristie clashes with Newsmax host over Trump and 2024 race Why neither Biden nor Trump will be the next presidentĭemocrats fear this one simple question will doom Biden Trump rails against reports Biden won’t be charged over classified documents postal worker among those indicted in $24 million check scheme More details released on possible U.S.-brokered Israel-Hamas deal The Biden-Xi summit was a total embarrassment 6 panel should be probed after release of tapesĬNN analyst: Report on California grand jury ‘bad news’ for Hunter Biden Lake looks for reset button in Arizona Senate race Trump claims judge in fraud trial is ‘complete and total puppet’ of New. Ukraine notches key battlefield victory in war of attrition with Russia “A systemic failure of Southwest Airlines leaders to modernize, support, and staff its operation leaves every frontline employee, pilots included, tired of apologizing to our passengers,” the Southwest Airlines Pilots Association said in a statement Wednesday. The airline was forced to cancel nearly two-thirds of its flights for much of the week to restore stability. Southwest’s archaic scheduling systems went haywire after winter storms hit its hubs in Denver and Chicago, making it difficult to route pilots and flight attendants to the right planes. The airline has scheduled just 39 cancellations for Friday, according to data from flight tracking website FlightAware, after shutting down nearly 2,400 flights on Thursday and 2,500 on Wednesday. “We know even our deepest apologies – to our customers, to our employees, and to all affected through this disruption – only go so far,” Southwest said in a statement. Southwest noted that it set up a website for customers to submit refund and reimbursement requests.
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