This isn’t Southwest’s first time plunging travelers into chaos recently. The airline was one of several impacted significantly by deadly blizzards in late December 2022, as dramatic weather conditions saw planes grounded and airports shuttered. However, Southwest took markedly longer to resume services than rivals like American Airlines and Delta, and its flight schedule saw considerably more disruption.
In fact, more than 5,500 Southwest flights were canceled within just a couple of days, more than a factor of ten greater than other airlines. Experts at the time blamed outdated computer systems for the problems, specifically Southwest’s ability to manage pilots, cabin crew, and other staff. Where Delta, AA, and others were able to track the location of crew automatically and route them accordingly, Southwest was reportedly forced to do that process by hand.
The mayhem was so pronounced, it caught the attention of the U.S. Congress, including the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation. “The Committee will be looking into the causes of these disruptions and its impact to consumers,” Chair Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.) said in December, voicing concerns that inadequate communication with customers and insufficient refunds were also a point of contention. The Committee had previously pushed the Department of Transportation (DOT) to strengthen consumer protections around covering secondary costs — including hotels, meals, and transportation — incurred when passengers are forced to wait out canceled and delayed flights.
For all the latest Games News Click Here
For the latest news and updates, follow us on Google News.