Southwest Airlines' holiday travel nightmare draws government ire
President Biden said Tuesday that he was seeking to hold airlines "accountable" for canceled flights that have stranded passengers.
President Biden, members of his administration and lawmakers are taking aim at Southwest Airlines amid an ongoing holiday travel debacle in which the company has canceled more than 5,000 flights in the past two days, leaving passengers stranded across the country.
Southwest alone has accounted for roughly 86% of all domestic cancellations on Tuesday. A day earlier, with the company far outpacing other airlines for canceled flights, the U.S. Department of Transportation called Southwest's actions "unacceptable."
USDOT is concerned by Southwest’s unacceptable rate of cancellations and delays & reports of lack of prompt customer service. The Department will examine whether cancellations were controllable and if Southwest is complying with its customer service plan.
— TransportationGov (@USDOT) December 27, 2022
Passengers in cities like Phoenix and San Diego, Calif., have been told by the airline that they cannot be rescheduled for several days, and piled-up baggage has created surreal scenes at airports across the country.
#SouthwestAirlines meltdown is turning terminal one into a storage unit for stranded passengers suitcases.
The airline canceling nearly 3,000 flights today, as federal officials confirm they will be looking into the situation calling it, “unacceptable.” pic.twitter.com/dqCcLH9chE— Hunter Sowards (@huntersowards3) December 27, 2022
On Monday night, Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg tweeted that he was "closely" tracking the travel chaos, and would "have more to say about this tomorrow." On Tuesday, he appeared on CNN, detailing a conversation he had with Southwest CEO Bob Jordan in which he said the Biden administration expected the airline to go "above and beyond" when it came to taking care of stranded passengers.
Southwest passengers have experienced unacceptable disruptions and customer service conditions. I have made clear to their executives that our department will hold Southwest accountable for making things right with their customers and employees. pic.twitter.com/X5c5foZGpf
— Secretary Pete Buttigieg (@SecretaryPete) December 27, 2022
Without singling out Southwest, Biden encouraged affected passengers to visit the Department of Transportation's website to see if they were "entitled to compensation."
Thousands of flights nationwide have been canceled around the holidays.
Our Administration is working to ensure airlines are held accountable.
If you’ve been affected by cancellations, go to @USDOT’s dashboard to see if you’re entitled to compensation. https://t.co/r0YBCPyKes https://t.co/1ZdqhBOAoL— President Biden (@POTUS) December 27, 2022
Sens. Ed Markey, D-Mass., and Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., are directly pressuring Southwest to refund ticket prices and provide stranded passengers with "significant monetary compensation for disruption to holiday plans."
.@SouthwestAir is failing consumers. They must fairly compensate passengers whose flights were canceled, including not only rebooked tickets, ticket refunds, and hotel, meal, and transportation reimbursement, but significant monetary compensation for disruption to holiday plans. pic.twitter.com/EhN2KDaVJ1
— Ed Markey (@SenMarkey) December 27, 2022
It seems certain that Southwest will find itself in the crosshairs of congressional investigations after the holiday recess. Bad weather from a polar vortex swept across the country and incapacitated two of Southwest's hubs, Chicago and Denver, which explains part of the airline's problems, but lawmakers are also pointing the finger at its business decisions.
The CEO called it a “tough day.”
I call it corporate greed.@SouthwestAir underinvested in operations, canceled thousands of flights, and created a nightmare for customers and employees.
I support the @USDOT investigation of Southwest.https://t.co/nZ8r1Oe7st— Congressman Chuy García (@RepChuyGarcia) December 27, 2022
Amid staffing shortages, the company scrapped 63% of its scheduled flights Tuesday, and the problems for passengers are likely to persist in the coming days. Southwest canceled 2,500 more flights on Wednesday, the Washington Post reported.
