A year after its infamous 2022 holiday meltdown and just days after the U.S. Department of Transportation fined the company $140 million for the debacle, Southwest Airlines is once again struggling at Denver International Airport.
According to FlightAware, a public flight tracking website, 119 of the 231 total delays and 11 of the 15 cancellations at DIA as of around midday on Sunday were Southwest Airlines flights. The airline attributes most of the cancellations and delays to the fog in Chicago on Saturday.
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“We had dense fog in Chicago that forced us to suspend operations last night and into this morning,” Chris Mainz, a spokesman for Southwest Airlines, told CBS News Colorado. “We are now operational in Chicago, but the delays you are seeing at DIA are a byproduct of the delays in Chicago.”
Saturday's flight data shows 62 cancellations and 65 delays from Chicago Midway International Airport and 14 cancellations and 199 delays from Chicago O'Hare International.
Last week, Southwest Airlines settled with the federal government for $140 million over a series of debacles that left countless people stranded and looking for other travel options during the last holiday season, a story CBS News Colorado reported extensively at the time .
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“Today’s action sets a new precedent and sends a clear message: When airlines fail their passengers, we will use the full extent of our authority to hold them accountable,” U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg said in a statement on March 18 . December. “Looking after passengers is not only the right thing to do, it is necessary, and this penalty should put all airlines on notice to take every step possible to ensure a collapse like this never happens again.”
FILE – Travelers wait in line for service at the Southwest Airlines check-in counter at Denver International Airport on Dec. 27, 2022. Southwest Airlines will pay a $35 million fine as part of a $140 million settlement to resolve a federal investigation into a debacle last December, the airline canceled thousands of flights and left more than two million travelers stranded over the holidays. David Zalubowski / AP
Southwest had previously agreed to pay more than $600 million in refunds and refunds to customers.
According to the U.S. Department of Transportation, Southwest will pay a total of over $750 million for the 2022 holiday meltdown.
Southwest Airlines reported revenue of over $25.4 billion for the fiscal year ended September 30, 2023.
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