The federal government is zeroing in on Southwest Airlines after it canceled thousands of flights over the winter holidays, stranding travelers indefinitely.
The harsh winter storms that have blanketed the country were part of the problem but don't tell the whole story. Other airlines had some weather-related cancellations, but Southwest shut down more than 15,000 flights and likely won’t resume normal operations until the new year.
Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg and Sen. Maria Cantwell
(D-Wash.), the chairwoman of the Senate Commerce Committee, are among the officials trying to figure out the issue with Southwest and its archaic scheduling system. They also are raising questions about whether the airline will fully reimburse customers for costs they face while on delays.
“At a minimum, there needs to be cash refunds for the canceled flights, and they need to be taking care of passengers where they got stuck with meals, hotel compensation,” Buttigieg said on NBC News on Tuesday.
Buttigieg said in another interview that the Transportation Department will “mount an extraordinary effort” to ensure that travelers are fully compensated.
“In order to restore that relationship with their customers, Southwest is going to have to not only make them financially whole but find a way to really rebuild trust and confidence,” he said on ABC’s “Good Morning America.”
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