President Joe Biden has promised to hold airlines accountable over the high number of flights that have been canceled in recent days and said some travelers may be entitled to compensation.
The U.S. Department of Transportation announced on Monday it would examine Southwest Airlines’s customer service policies after the airline was crippled with widespread disruptions, noting the agency was “concerned” by the “disproportionate and unacceptable rate” of cancellations and delays.
DOT ‘CONCERNED’ BY SOUTHWEST AIRLINE’S ‘UNACCEPTABLE’ FLIGHT CANCELLATIONS
Biden echoed those concerns in a tweet.
“Thousands of flights nationwide have been canceled around the holidays. Our Administration is working to ensure airlines are held accountable,” he wrote. “If you’ve been affected by cancellations, go to @USDOT’s dashboard to see if you’re entitled to compensation.”
Thousands of flights nationwide have been canceled around the holidays.
Our Administration is working to ensure airlines are held accountable.
If you’ve been affected by cancellations, go to @USDOT’s dashboard to see if you’re entitled to compensation. https://t.co/r0YBCPyKes https://t.co/1ZdqhBOAoL
— President Biden (@POTUS) December 27, 2022
Nearly 3,000 flights within, into, or out of the United States were canceled on Tuesday, and another 12,826 were delayed as of 1 p.m. EST, according to tracker Flight Aware.
Southwest Airlines topped the list for having both the highest number of cancellations and delays compared to other airlines, with 63% of its flights canceled.
“As more information becomes available, the Department will closely examine whether cancellations were controllable and whether Southwest is complying with its customer service plan as well as all other pertinent DOT rules,” the agency said in a statement Monday.
USDOT is concerned by Southwest’s unacceptable rate of cancellations and delays & reports of lack of prompt customer service. The Department will examine whether cancellations were controllable and if Southwest is complying with its customer service plan.
— TransportationGov (@USDOT) December 27, 2022
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The DOT also criticized the airline after reports emerged employees failed to “properly support customers experiencing a cancellation or delay.” Some customers reported being left on hold for up to 10 hours while trying to reach Southwest representatives, with others noting they were separated from their luggage for several days, according to CNN.
It’s not yet clear how long it will take for the airline to sort out all of its cancellations and delays, although some travel experts predict it may take a week for everything to return to normal.
