Southwest Airlines cancels more than half of flights because of winter weather
Flight tracking sites reported 66% of Southwest Airlines' flights were canceled as of Monday evening
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Dallas-based Southwest Airlines canceled thousands of flights on Monday after several consecutive days of extreme winter weather that affected travel across the U.S.
When reached for specifics regarding the number of canceled flights, Southwest representatives did not have an exact number, but said it was a "significant portion of our published flight schedule."
A Southwest Airlines aircraft flies past the U.S. Capitol before landing at Reagan National Airport in Arlington, Va., on Jan. 24, 2022. (Reuters/Joshua Roberts / Reuters Photos)
Flight tracking website FlightAware.com reported 2,712 flights, or 66% scheduled from the carrier were canceled as of 5 p.m. on Monday, with another 754 delayed.
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"With consecutive days of extreme winter weather across our network behind us, continuing challenges are impacting our customers and employees in a significant way that is unacceptable," a statement from Southwest read. "And our heartfelt apologies for this are just the beginning. We’re working with Safety at the forefront to urgently address wide-scale disruption by rebalancing the airline and repositioning crews and our fleet ultimately to best serve all who plan to travel with us."
According to the airline’s statement, Southwest was fully staffed and prepared for the holidays when Winter Storm Elliot moved across the U.S.
Ice is removed from a United Airlines jet after a cold weather front moved into General Mitchell International Airport in Milwaukee on Dec. 22, 2022. (Mark Hoffman/USA Today Network via Reuters / Reuters Photos)
As a result, Southwest said, many changes were made to the flight schedule that kept the airline working at full capacity.
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Southwest said it is reaching out to customers whose travel plans will change, with information and available options.
"Our employees and crews scheduled to work this holiday season are showing up in every single way," the airline’s statement read. "We are beyond grateful for that. Our shared goal is to take care of every single customer with the hospitality and heart for which we’re known. On the other side of this, we’ll work to make things right for those we’ve let down, including our employees."