The company also said in a regulatory filing last month that it may face a fine from the Department of Transportation after it determined that the airline "failed to provide adequate customer service assistance, prompt flight status notifications, and proper and prompt refunds." Southwest estimates the fiasco cost it as much as $825 million in operating expenses and reimbursements and acknowledged that it saw a dip in bookings in January and February. was hit with a destructive blizzard in December that snarled operations for multiple airlines, including Southwest.īut what could have been a brief hiccup for the airline turned into a major crisis due, in part, to outdated computer systems and other technical setbacks. "We are now so much better prepared for these extreme weather events," he said. It weighs heavily on all of us here at Southwest Airlines," the carrier's chief operating officer, Andrew Watterson, said during an October earnings call with investors. "The disruption we had last winter was really hard on our customers and our employees. The debacle cost Southwest hundreds of millions in lost revenue, prompted scrutiny from congressional investigators and led once-loyal customers to swear off the airline once and for all.īut this year, the airline says it's invested in new weather equipment and upgraded its technology ahead of the holiday rush in a bid to reassure customers and avoid a repeat of last year's performance. Many would-be fliers were unable to rebook their flights or rent a car. Nearly one year later, Southwest is hoping for a do-over from last year's holiday meltdown, when a combination of extreme winter weather and a cascading set of technical problems led the airline to cancel 16,700 flights over a 10-day period in December. 29 - five days after she was originally scheduled to get home. She ultimately took a Greyhound bus back to Denver and arrived on Dec. "We either felt trapped in the airport or we're spending money that we don't know if we're going to get back on options to be outside of the airport." ![]() "The vibes were not good," Cornelius said. Like countless other Southwest customers late last year, Cornelius found herself stuck in the terminal - her flights canceled, her checked bag lost and her prospects for getting home dim. Eventually, she was able to rebook for the day after Christmas, but when she arrived at the airport she faced a string of delays before Southwest cancelled her flight for a second time. Her Southwest Airlines flight was canceled, so she left the airport and spent the night with a friend. The Denver resident was flying home on Christmas Eve after visiting family in Richmond, Va., when she landed in Chicago for a layover. For Emily Cornelius, last December was not one to remember.
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