Why did Southwest cancel 16,000 flights?

A rigorous and comprehensive investigation into Southwest Airlines' holiday debacle that stranded millions is in its early stages, the department said in a statement. Southwest canceled more than 16,000 flights in the week ending Dec. 29 after its crew scheduling software failed to handle staffing changes.



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In December, a cascade of flight cancellations, initially caused by a winter storm, was compounded by the airline's inability to reroute planes and crew. Ultimately, Southwest Airlines was forced to scrap several days of its flying schedule in order to reset operations.

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Air Traffic Control Restrictions With increasing post-pandemic air travel, controllers sometimes limit flights during peak times or due to congestion resulting from flight disruptions. Air traffic controllers sometimes request an airline to cancel their flight.

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Airlines With the Most Cancellations Spirit Airlines had the most cancellations last week—2.07% of its flights. Frontier Airlines was right behind Spirit, with 1.87% of flights canceled.

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Frontier Airlines has had the worst on-time arrival performance so far in 2023. Just 65.41% of Frontier flights arrived on time from January through April 2023.

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American Airlines and its partners – 2.81% of flights canceled. Frontier Airlines – 2.87% of flights canceled. Spirit Airlines – 3% of flights canceled. Southwest Airlines – 3.26% of flights canceled.

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You ARE entitled to a full refund via your original method of payment EVEN if you booked a nonrefundable Wanna Get Away fare IF Southwest cancels the flight (and not you). You will likely have to be the one to ask them for it, but you are entitled.

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The department first disclosed in January it was reviewing whether Southwest executives engaged in unrealistic scheduling of flights which under federal law is considered an unfair and deceptive practice. USDOT said Wednesday it is continuing its rigorous and comprehensive investigation.

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Earlier this week, the airline added more information on how travelers will get their money once a reimbursement is approved. Southwest is working with a company called Hyperwallet, which will process payment to customers via their choice of Paypal, Venmo, direct deposit, a bank card, a check, or Moneygram.

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Chief among them are outdated internal processes and information technology. Southwest's scheduling system hasn't changed much since the 1990s, according to Captain Casey Murray, president of the Southwest Airlines Pilots Association. Southwest has also acknowledged the company's outdated infrastructure.

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Southwest remains a solid airline choice The Southwest policies on fees are very generous and tailor-made for uncertain COVID-era travel: No fees to cancel or change a flight, every passenger gets two free checked bags, and it's easier than ever to earn elite status.

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Instead, as travel slowed in 2020, and then as Southwest added new cities in 2021, the airline dropped routes, or point-to-point service. In some cases, it might restore a nonstop flight only to cut it later and shift resources to more in-demand routes.

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Re: Lack of nonstop flights Demand is the biggest reason; other reasons is competition in the area.

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BTS data from July 2021 to June 2022 shows Hawaiian performed best of all U.S. airlines with just a 0.81% cancellation rate. Delta took second place again — with a cancellation rate of 1.63%. Meanwhile, merger partners JetBlue (3.81%) and Spirit Airlines (4.11%) canceled the highest percentage of all flights.

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Currently, the bragging rights for the longest flight in the world belong to Singapore Airlines' New York City to Singapore route. Its longest flight path, which connects Singapore's Changi Airport with New York's John F. Kennedy International Airport, 9,585 miles away, takes 18 hours and 40 minutes.

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