Southwest cancellations: Delayed and canceled flights continue after meltdown - Axios

Passengers hold to committee a Southwest formation astatine Dallas Love Field successful Dallas connected Dec. 25, 2022. Photo: The Washington Post via Getty Images

Southwest Airlines was liable for the bulk of formation cancellations and delays again connected Tuesday, signaling that the airline's caller troubles aren't parking astatine the gross conscionable yet.

The latest: Southwest accounted for 2,497 of the astir 3,199 canceled U.S. flights arsenic of 12.30am Tuesday ET, according to FlightAware.

• Southwest canceled 65% of its flights that were scheduled to instrumentality disconnected Tuesday, per FlightAware data. The hose besides had 959 delayed flights.
• Thousands of Southwest flights were besides canceled and delayed connected Monday.

Why Southwest Airlines had delays, canceled flights

The large picture: Southwest's troubles are owed to a operation of the utmost winter storms and however the airline's formation routes are structured, per the Wall Street Journal.

• The airline's crew-scheduling strategy besides crumbled nether the unit of truthful galore caller formation changes.
• The hose said successful a statement Monday that it was "staffed and prepared for the approaching vacation weekend" earlier the terrible upwind disrupted its plans.
• "These operational conditions forced regular changes to our formation docket astatine a measurement and magnitude that inactive has the tools our teams usage to retrieve the hose operating astatine capacity," Southwest said.
• As Southwest Airlines CEO Bob Jordan said Tuesday the program for the adjacent fewer days was "to alert a reduced schedule" and the institution was "optimistic" it would beryllium backmost connected way earlier adjacent week.

Zoom in: Travel blog The Points Guy wrote that "staffing and exertion problems" sent "the bearer connected a downward spiral."

• "With schedules deteriorating truthful rapidly amid the wintertime storm, Southwest’s unit scheduling struggled to support up with the speedy changes needed to support crews and planes successful place," The Points Guy reported.

Flashback: Southwest had a akin occupation past year. Bad question weather, a aviator shortage and staffing issues led to galore formation cancellations and delays.

What's next: Department of Transportation review

Southwest expects a pugnacious week up for travelers. The hose said it volition alert astir one-third of its docket arsenic it works its mode done the messiness this week.

• Jordan told the Wall Street Journal helium expected Tuesday would beryllium different pugnacious time "as we enactment our mode out" of the situation. "This is the largest standard lawsuit that I've ever seen," helium said.
• The hose said it's looking to "make things close for those we’ve fto down," including its ain employees.
• Southwest has been booking hotels, rental cars and tickets for customers impacted by the delays, Ryan Green, Southwest's main commercialized officer, told the Journal.

Of note: American Airlines tweeted that it's "doing our portion to assistance get radical wherever they request to beryllium and we're putting a headdress connected fares for prime cities" successful effect to a Twitter idiosyncratic stating that the hose had been "inflating prices."

What we're watching: The Department of Transportation said it would reappraisal Southwest's actions and lawsuit work policies that contributed to a unsmooth holiday travel weekend.

• The bureau said it was "concerned by Southwest's unacceptable complaint of cancellations and delays & reports of deficiency of punctual lawsuit service" and "will analyse whether cancellations were controllable and if Southwest is complying with its lawsuit work plan."

What they're saying: U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg told CNN Tuesday helium had spoken with Jordan and "made wide that our section volition beryllium holding them accountable for their responsibilities to customers, some to get them done this concern and to marque definite that this can't hap again."

• Two Democratic senators said Tuesday that Southwest "is failing consumers" and called connected the bearer to "compensate passengers" with rebooked oregon refunded tickets, edifice and repast reimbursements, and "significant monetary compensation for the disruption to their vacation plans."
• "Southwest cannot debar compensating passengers by claiming these formation cancellations were caused by caller wintertime storms," Sens. Ed Markey (D-Mass.) and Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) said successful a joint statement.

More from Axios:

• Transportation Department to reappraisal Southwest's wide formation cancellations
• Major wintertime tempest threatens to upend vacation travel
• Flight delays, cancellations proceed arsenic tempest rolls on

Editor's note: This communicative has been updated with caller formation cancellation numbers, a connection from Democratic Sens. Ed Markey and Richard Blumenthal and further remark from Southwest Airlines CEO Bob Jordan.