Southwest fined $140 million for last year's holiday meltdown
Publishing timestamp: 2023-12-18 09:11:41
Summary
Southwest Airlines has reached a settlement with the U.S. Department of Transportation, agreeing to pay a $140 million fine for violating consumer protection laws during last year's holiday meltdown. The fine is 30 times larger than any previous fine for such violations. Southwest Airlines also separately paid $600 million to reimburse and refund stranded travelers. The DOT found that the airline did not provide enough customer assistance, failed to give prompt flight change notifications, and did not provide refunds or reimbursements in a timely manner. Southwest Airlines canceled nearly 17,000 flights during the holiday period last year, costing the airline over $1 billion. The CEO has vowed that such a meltdown will not happen again and the airline has made improvements to enhance operational resiliency.
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Keywords: aerospace and defense industry, business, transportation, life, travel, airlines, southwest airlines co, business news, breaking news: business,
Source: https://www.cnbc.com/2023/12/18/southwest-fined-140-million-for-last-years-holiday-meltdown.html