Southwest airlines “unacceptably” cancel many flights in the United States

The US Department of Transportation is investigating Southwest airlines as the company continues to cancel flights due to winter weather in the US. While most other airlines canceled no more than 2% of their flights today, Southwest canceled more than 60% of planned air travel.

Today, approximately 2,950 flights have been canceled in the United States, including nearly 2,550 canceled by Southwest. The American low-cost airline, one of the largest in the world, expects to feel the consequences of the winter weather for the next few days. In the coming days, only a third of flights are expected to continue as planned.

The Department of Transportation reports an “unacceptable number of cancellations” and is investigating the extent to which Southwest could have prevented those cancellations. The ministry is also examining whether the airline is adhering to its customer service guidelines, following reports that customer service is not working properly.

On social media, travelers complain of long queues at airports and unreachable service workers. Baggage also piles up:

A Southwest spokesman said many of the company’s staff and planes were stranded in various parts of the country due to the winter weather. “We’re very busy with this, trying to catch up and get back to normal safely,” he says.

Although the winter weather in the United States is past its peak, snow and ice are still being experienced in several locations across the country. For example, in Buffalo, the second largest city in the state of New York, driving on the streets is prohibited. According to local authorities, many city residents are ignoring this ban. That’s why agents and military personnel have been sent to Buffalo to enforce it.

The US National Weather Service expects the snow in New York to end after today. “It’s still snowing now,” says a meteorologist at the meteorological institute, “but it’s nothing compared to what’s fallen in recent days.” He adds that it will warm up quickly after today. Temperatures could soar as high as 8 degrees Celsius on Thursday.

Upstate New York has been hit by heavy snowstorms for the past few days. Especially in and around Buffalo, buildings were covered in layers of snow and ice:

At least 30 people have died in the Buffalo area due to the winter weather, according to local authorities. Among them are also people who died because aid workers were unable to reach them in time due to winter conditions.

In total, about sixty deaths have been caused by bad weather in the United States in recent days.