Pete Buttigieg calls out Southwest Airlines in letter, lays out priorities

Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg criticized Southwest over thousands of flights it recently canceled and laid out four priorities he has for the airline in a letter Thursday to CEO Bob Jordan. 

Buttigieg called the volume of flight disruptions experienced by Southwest Airlines customers over Christmas weekend and this week "unacceptable," indicating he thought the weather was not the only reason for the delays and cancellations. 

He also pointed to problems that have occurred amid disruptions, including Southwest customers who "missed time with loved ones during the holidays" and those who have been separated from their checked bags for prolonged periods. 

Peter Doocy of Fox News obtained the letter.

SOUTHWEST AIRLINES PILOTS ASSOCIATION ON CANCELLATIONS: AIRLINE ‘WASN’T PREPARED'

A winter storm that affected large portions of the country prompted Southwest and other major U.S. airlines to delay or cancel flights while many people were traveling for the Christmas holiday, something Buttigieg noted in the letter. 

Southwest, he suggested, has taken longer than other airlines to return to normal operations, which the Dallas-based carrier anticipates will happen Friday. 

Jordan said in a video Tuesday that the airline’s "highly complex" network was thrown off by the storm, with planes and crew members "in dozens of locations" out of position, FOX Business previously reported.

Southwest had canceled over 2,300 U.S. flights Thursday and canceled over 2,500 Wednesday, according to FlightAware. 

"No amount of financial compensation can fully make up for passengers who missed moments with their families that they can never get back — Christmas, birthdays, weddings and other special events," Buttigieg wrote in the letter to Southwest's CEO. "That’s why it is so critical for Southwest to begin by reimbursing passengers for those costs that can be measured in dollars in cents."

BUTTIGIEG SAYS SOUTHWEST MUST COMPENSATE CUSTOMERS AFTER ‘SYSTEM FAILURE’

The four priorities Buttigieg laid out for the airline: "Getting stranded passengers to their destinations safely and quickly; providing or reimbursing passengers for meals, hotels and ground transportation to or from hotels; promptly refunding affected passengers for their canceled tickets should the passenger not accept alternative offers such as rebooking; and ensuring that passengers are quickly reunited with their baggage."

Buttigieg promised the Department of Transportation would take steps to hold Southwest accountable to its commitments and obligations in those four areas if it did not meet them.

In response to a request for comment, Southwest directed FOX Business to the update it posted earlier Thursday about its operations being expected to return to normalcy "with minimal disruptions" Friday.

SOUTHWEST EXPECTS OPERATIONS TO RETURN TO NORMAL ON FRIDAY

"With another holiday weekend full of important connections for our valued customers and employees, we are eager to return to a state of normalcy," the airline said. "We know even our deepest apologies — to our customers, to our employees and to all affected through their disruption — only go so far."

Southwest said it created a webpage for refund and reimbursement requests, locating baggage and rebooking. Customers whose flights are canceled between Dec. 24 and Jan. 2 can "request a refund of [their] unused ticket to the original form of payment."

Southwest passengers with a flight cancellation or significant delay in that time period can also "submit receipts" for other related expenses. 

The company will "honor reasonable requests for reimbursement for meals, hotel and alternate transportation," according to the page.

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The airline said in its update Thursday that it has "much work ahead of us, including investing in new solutions to manage wide-scale disruptions."