Southwest Airlines’ holiday meltdown brings on federal investigation
During the holidays, the Dallas-based airline canceled more flights than any other airline, prompting federal authorities to inquire as to why.
Southwest Airlines, based in Dallas, is facing a federal inquiry into whether it violated its own legally mandated customer service strategy during a snowstorm of flight cancellations that wrecked plans and enraged passengers during the Christmas holiday.
The US Department of Transportation dubbed the service meltdown, which resulted in the cancellation or delay of majority of the carrier’s flights during the holiday weekend, “disproportionate and unacceptable” in a statement issued late Monday.
As Winter Storm Elliott began to wreak havoc on a huge portion of the United States, Southwest Airlines canceled the great majority of flights across the country. And the problems for flight travelers are set to continue this week.
“USDOT is worried about Southwest’s unacceptable rate of cancellations and delays, as well as reports of slow customer service,” the agency tweeted on Monday evening. “The Department will investigate whether the cancellations were controllable and whether Southwest is following its customer service plan.”
Soon after, Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg tweeted that he was “following [the situation] closely” and would have more to say about it on Tuesday.
The DOT said on Twitter late Tuesday afternoon that Buttigieg talked with “union leaders and the CEO of Southwest Airlines to underscore the Department’s expectation that Southwest meet its commitments to passengers and workers and take actions to prevent a situation like this from happening again.”
Southwest management stated in a memo to employees obtained by The Dallas Morning News on Tuesday that staffing shortages were a big reason the flights were grounded because pilots and other crew members couldn’t travel to the airports where they were required.
Some travelers were told that no additional reservations will be made before the new year.
A representative for the airline — the largest in 23 of the nation’s top 25 travel markets — told The Dallas Morning News that it was cutting flights and suspending ticket sales for the next few days as it recovers.
“Due to our constrained schedule and significant number of re-accommodations, inventory available to book flights throughout our network is very low,” Southwest spokesperson Chris Perry said in a statement.
According to Mike Santoro, vice president of the airline’s pilots union, the root of the problem was an obsolete scheduling system that was already overburdened before the storm became the spark for the current troubles. These technological issues, he claims, have left pilots and crews stranded in cities across the country, unable to contact airline executives to figure out where they — or the planes they’re supposed to staff — are supposed to be.
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“We don’t know where we are, and they don’t know where the planes are,” Santoro explained. “We’ve had enough of apologizing for Southwest. “Our thoughts are with all of the passengers.”
On Monday, 71% of Southwest flights were canceled, accounting for two-thirds of all canceled flights into and out of the United States that day – even as Winter Storm Elliott, which hit the country on Friday, began to weaken.
According to the online airline tracker FlightAware, the airline canceled 64% of its flights on Tuesday, accounting for over 90% of all cancellations from all carriers into and out of the nation.
The airline has already canceled 62% of its flights for Wednesday, accounting for all but 33 of the more than 2,500 canceled flights in the United States that day.
Southwest executives expressed “heartfelt apologies” on Monday, saying they were “just getting started” as the “unacceptable” issues continue this week.
According to the statement, the extreme winter weather caused “widespread disruption,” and the airline is working at maximum capacity to restore service.
“As we approach the upcoming New Year holiday travel period, we anticipate additional changes with an already lower level of flights,” the statement said. “We’ll work hard to make things right for those we’ve disappointed.”
That may come as cold comfort to travelers who spent the entire holiday weekend at Austin-Bergstrom International Airport, were separated from luggage stacks at Houston Hobby Airport, and were dropped off at Love Field in Dallas — the Southwest hub — without being notified that their flights had been canceled. More than 100 flights were delayed or canceled at San Antonio International Airport on Christmas Day.
The commotion caused some travelers to sleep on airport floors, wait for hours in queues, and flood hotels as they scrambled to locate last-minute lodging.
However, federal regulators are restricted in their options beyond a severely worded social media appeal for an airline to uphold its customer service standards. These promises are not required for an airline’s license to be renewed, but they were established in 2011 law as a form of traveler’s bill of rights that airlines are meant to enforce on themselves.
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The Department of Transportation (DOT) can fine airlines severely for breaking their guidelines on how to respond to long delays of planes full of passengers idling for hours on the tarmac. Although it is unclear if those were among the biggest difficulties because most flights were canceled entirely.
“It’s posturing on the part of the DOT,” said Charlie Leocha, president of Travelers United, an organization that advocates for air travelers and has advocated for greater means to enforce airline customer service plans and other regulations.
Typically, he said, Southwest is a “customer service champion” since it is the only airline that does not charge change fees, has credits that do not expire, and does not charge for up to two bags with few restrictions.
The weather has been unprecedented, and Southwest, as the largest carrier in the United States, is going to have greater cancellation numbers during peak flight seasons, he noted.
“The weather situation is out of control. “I can’t recall a time when it was so cold and there was so much snow,” he remarked. “It’s a tragedy that the true customer service champion has become a target. “All airlines face the same issues.”
