Highlights from Senate Hearing Over Southwest's Holiday Meltdown
Excerpts from USA Today
Southwest Airlines chief operating officer Andrew Watterson and other officials testified before the Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee on Thursday, a little over a month after a meltdown that disrupted holiday air travel nationwide.
In the wake of extreme winter weather, Southwest canceled nearly 17,000 flights in the final 10 days of December. The cancellations left many passengers stranded and struggling to find luggage or reach customer service agents, while some had to improvise, forgo planned trips or opt to drive rather than fly.
Southwest reported a $220 million loss during its fourth-quarter earnings call last month, after it took an $800 million hit as a result of the cancellations. The debacle has also prompted the Department of Transportation to investigate whether the airline scheduled more flights than it could operate.
In his opening statement, Paul Hudson from Flyers Rights, a passenger advocacy organization, said that the meltdown was "unprecedented, but not unexpected." He said airline systems and technologies are often overstretched and ill-equipped to deal with major disruptions.
