A Southwest Airlines passenger jet lands at Chicago Midway International Airport in Chicago, Illinois, on December 28, 2022.
Kamil Krzaczynski | AFP | Getty Images
The Transportation Department mentioned Wednesday that it’s within the preliminary part of an investigation of Southwest Airlines‘ vacation meltdown and taking a look at whether or not the service’s schedules was unrealistic.
Southwest has mentioned it canceled greater than 16,000 flights between Dec. 21 and Dec. 31 because it struggled to get well from extreme winter climate whereas executives mentioned they needed to cancel much more flights to regular the operation.
The firm and labor unions have pointed to outmoded scheduling platforms that weren’t designed to deal with the variety of flight modifications that occurred over that interval.
“DOT is also probing whether Southwest executives engaged in unrealistic scheduling of flights which under federal law is considered an unfair and deceptive practice,” a DOT spokesperson mentioned. “DOT will leverage the full extent of its investigative and enforcement power to ensure consumers are protected and this process will continue to evolve as the Department learns more.”
Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg has beforehand vowed to carry Southwest accountable for the disruptions, which left a whole bunch of hundreds of vacationers stranded.
“Our holiday flight schedule was thoughtfully designed and offered to our Customers with the backing of a solid plan to operate it, and with ample staffing,” Southwest mentioned in a press release late Wednesday. “We will continue to cooperate with any inquiry or request from government oversight or elected officials. We’re acutely focused on learning from this event, mitigating the risk of a repeat occurrence, and delivering the hospitality and outstanding service our Customers expect from us.”
Southwest is scheduled to report outcomes earlier than the market opens on Thursday.