In response to the large number of flights that have been cancelled recently, President Joe Biden committed to hold airlines accountable and said that some passengers might be entitled to compensation.
After the airline was crippled by widespread disruptions, the U.S. Department of Transportation announced on Monday that it would look into Southwest Airlines’ customer service practises.
The agency noted that it was “concerned” by the “disproportionate and unacceptable rate” of cancellations and delays.
Biden expressed these worries in a tweet.
“Thousands of flights nationwide have been canceled around the holidays. Our Administration is working to ensure airlines are held accountable,” he wrote. “If you’ve been affected by cancellations, go to @USDOT’s dashboard to see if you’re entitled to compensation.”
As of 1 p.m. EST on Tuesday, Flight Aware, a flight tracker, reported that 12,826 flights had been delayed and nearly 3,000 flights inside, into, or out of the United States had been cancelled.
With 63% of its flights cancelled, Southwest Carriers topped the list for both the most cancellations and delays when compared to other airlines.
Additionally, on Monday, Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg stated that he was “closely monitoring” the Southwest situation and would “have more to say” on Tuesday.
The weekend saw numerous flight interruptions and cancellations due to a strong winter storm that brought blizzard conditions to several states just before Christmas, leaving thousands of travellers stranded at airports across the nation.
Southwest’s CEO, Bob Jordan, had told The Wall Street Journal that Tuesday would be “another tough day” after the airline cancelled more than 70% of its flights on Monday.
In a previous update, the airline stated that, as it regrouped, it would run on about one-third of its schedule “over the next few days.”
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