Southwest Airlines

Southwest Airlines' holiday meltdown brings federal investigation

The Dallas-based airline has canceled more flights than any other airline over the holidays, prompting federal investigators to ask why.

Dallas-based Southwest Airlines is facing a federal investigation into whether it violated a legally required customer service program amid a blizzard that ruined plans and angered passengers during the Christmas holiday, causing flight cancellations.

In a statement late Monday, the U.S. Transportation Department officials called the service meltdown, which resulted in the cancellation or delay of most of the carrier's flights over the holiday weekend, "disproportionate and unacceptable."

As Winter Storm Elliott began wreaking havoc across much of the United States, most of the canceled flights across the country were operated by Southwest Airlines. And the woes of airline passengers will continue this week.

"USDOT is concerned by reports of Southwest's unacceptable cancellation rates and delays and lack of prompt customer service," the agency tweeted Monday evening. "The department will examine whether the cancellations are manageable and whether Southwest is in compliance with its customer service plan."

Shortly after Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg tweeted that he was "monitoring [the issue] closely" and would have more to say about it Tuesday.

On Tuesday afternoon, the DOD said on Twitter that Buttigieg had "spoken with union leaders and the CEO of Southwest Airlines to convey the department's expectations for Southwest Airlines passengers and workers and to take steps to prevent a similar situation from occurring again." "

In a message to employees obtained by The Dallas Morning News on Tuesday, Southwest officials said the staffing issue is a big part of the reason pilots and other employees can't get to airports where they need to land.

Some passengers were told that no new bookings had been made before the New Year.

In a statement to the Dallas Morning News, a spokeswoman for the airline — which is the largest in 23 of the nation's top 25 travel markets — said it was cutting flights and halting ticket sales in the days it recovers.

"Due to our limited schedule and the high number of rebooking's, availability for booking flights across our network is extremely low, but we are still operating flights," Southwest spokesman Chris Perry said in a statement.

Mike Santoro, vice president of the airline's pilots union, told CNN that at the heart of the problem is an outdated scheduling system that was in place before the storm became the catalyst for the current problems. Those technical problems have left pilots and crew members scrambling for shelter in cities across the country, unable to locate airline officials where they're supposed to be — or the flights scheduled for their employees.

"We don't know where we are, they don't know where the planes are, it's frustrating," Santoro said. “We are tired of apologizing for Southwest. Our hearts go out to all passengers.

On Monday, 71% of Southwest flights were canceled, two-thirds of the total number of cancellations from any carrier in and out of the U.S. that day — as Winter Storm Elliott, which barreled through Friday, began to wane.

On Tuesday, the airline scrubbed 64% of its flights, representing nearly 90% of cancellations from all carriers in and out of the country, according to online airline tracker Flight Aware.

The carrier has already canceled 62% of its flights for Wednesday — all but 33 of the more than 2,500 US flights canceled that day.

Southwest officials issued a "heartfelt apology" on Monday, which they said was "only now" as challenges they described as "unacceptable" are expected to continue this week.

Officials said in a statement that severe winter weather had caused "widespread disruption" and the airline was working at full capacity to restore service.

"As we approach the upcoming New Year holiday travel season, we anticipate additional changes with already limited flights," the statement said. "We will work to make things right for those we have abandoned."

That may come as cold comfort to travelers who spent the entire holiday weekend at Austin-Bergstrom International Airport, separated from stacks of luggage at Houston Hobby Airport and dropped off at Love Field in the Southwest hub of Dallas. announced that their flights had been cancelled. On Christmas Day, more than 100 flights were delayed or canceled at San Antonio International Airport.

The chaos has left some travelers sleeping on airport floors, waiting in lines for hours and cramming into major hotels in a scramble to find last-minute accommodations.

But federal officials are limited in what they can do beyond a strongly-worded social media call for an airline to enforce its customer service obligations. Those commitments are not required for an airline to keep its license, but are a form of passenger rights established in a 2011 law that airlines themselves must enforce.

Airlines could be fined heavily by the DOT for violating rules on how to respond to long delays of flights packed with passengers sitting on the tarmac for hours, but it's not yet clear whether they were one of the main problems, as most flights were canceled outright.

"It's on the DOT's part," said Charlie Leocha, president of Travelers United, which advocates for air travelers and pushes for stronger ways to enforce airline customer service programs and other requirements.

In general, Southwest is a "customer service champion," with no change fees, no expired credits, and no fees for up to two bags, with some limitations.

The weather is unprecedented, he added, and as America's largest carrier, Southwest tends to have high cancellation numbers during busy flying seasons.

"This weather situation has been overwhelming. I can't remember a period with such cold temperatures and amazing snowfall," he said. "It's a shame that a true customer service champion has found himself in the crosshairs. All airlines have similar problems.