Connect with us

Hi, what are you looking for?

News

U.S. Transportation Department Investigates Southwest Airlines Cancellations, Delayed Flights

Southwest Airlines Delays [Photo: New York Post]
Southwest Airlines Delays [Photo: New York Post]

The U.S. Transportation Department will be investigating the numerous cancellations and delayed flights by Southwest Airlines. USDOT says it will closely investigate whether Southwest is complying with the department’s rules, says Shepardson.

Southwest Airlines Delays [Photo: The New York Times]

Southwest Airlines Delays [Photo: The New York Times]

On December 26, the U.S. Transportation Department (USDOT) announced that it will be investigating the numerous cancellations and delayed flights made by the Southwest Airlines. According to flight tracking website FlightAware, Southwest has cancelled 2,866 or 70% of the scheduled flights last December 26. Previously, they have also cancelled 48% of the scheduled flights on Christmas. Today, the airline has also cancelled 60% of its scheduled flights. For delayed flights, Southwest also recorded 48% on the 24th and 16% on Christmas.

When asked for a response, Southwest Airlines has refused to comment regarding the USDOT’s statements. However, the airlines talked about the successive days of extreme winter weather that affected the customers and employees in a critical way. The airlines also said that they are already working on reorganizing their crews and fleets to better serve all customers who want to avail of their services.

Not An Isolated Case

According to Shepardson, these past few days, other U.S. airlines have also suffered with numerous cancellations of flights. However, the numbers are not nearly as high as Southwest Airlines’. USDOT has reminded Southwest Airlines about their customer service plans which state that the airlines will provide meal or hotel vouchers for delayed flights that are within the airline’s control. Several airlines also practice this service, however, most of them do not break down all obligations stated in their customer service plans.

 

Click to comment

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *