Southwest Airlines CEO issues apology to passengers for flight cancellations over holiday season

Southwest Airlines CEO Bob Jordan has expressed that he was ‘truly sorry’ for the confusion caused by this week's flight cancellations as a result of a severe winter storm that swept the nation just before Christmas.

In a nearly three-minute video statement, Jordan stated that the airline is making every effort to restore operations to normal and that the operational meltdown is the result of winter storm delays, antiquated systems, and aggressive flight scheduling over the Christmas season.

Jordan said that the airline will operate on a restricted schedule in order to realign its staff and aircraft, and he expressed optimism that everything will resume as usual before next week.




US Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg vowed to hold the airline responsible for the travel chaos it allegedly caused. He noted that every other major airline is getting back on schedule. He stated that Southwest is unable to locate even where their own crews are, let alone their own passengers and the baggage.

Buttigieg further stated that if it is shown that Southwest did not uphold its legal duties to passengers, his government is ready to impose sanctions. He said that the airline should provide refund choices, meals and lodging coupons, and other forms of consumer support.

At Logan Airport as of 5:30 a.m. on December 27, 41 flights have been cancelled, with 70 per cent of those being Southwest planes.

Travellers who have been affected by the Southwest cancellations should contact the airline to receive a refund or credit by calling 1-800-435-9792 or submitting a request on the Southwest Travel Disruption page. Tickets can only be returned if they are not utilized.

FAQs:

1. Who founded Southwest Airlines?
   Herbert Kelleher and Rollin King
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