Southwest Airlines slammed by passengers and Department of Transportation as flights delayed nationwide

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Thousands of Southwest Airlines flights were delayed or canceled nationwide on Monday, leading to mounting criticism of the airline from disgruntled passengers and the federal government.

The airline canceled 2,886 flights on Monday, or 70% of scheduled flights, amid a winter storm affecting parts of the country, according to flight tracking website FlightAware. Every airline has had to cancel or delay flights in the past few days, but Southwest’s totals are particularly high.

Of the more than 160 flight cancellations and more than 340 delays at Los Angeles International Airport that left passengers stranded trying to get home after Christmas, 106 of the cancellations and nearly 30 delays were from flights from the southwest, according to FOX 11.

Southwest said they are rebooking as many customers as possible and people whose flights have been canceled can request a refund or receive a credit, although rebooking depends on open seats on available flights.

SOUTHWEST AIRLINES CANCELS MORE THAN HALF OF FLIGHTS DUE TO WINTER WEATHER

Thousands of Southwest Airlines flights were delayed or canceled nationwide on Monday, leading to mounting criticism of the airline from disgruntled passengers and the federal government. (REUTERS/Mike Blake/Reuters)

LAX passengers said the airline can book their flight no earlier than Dec. 31. The Southwest Airlines website says there are no flights available from LAX to Sea-Tac (SEA), New York (LGA) or San Francisco (SFO) until Dec. 31. .

And at Chicago’s Midway International Airport, more than 300 flights were canceled as of 5 p.m. local time.

Passengers are frustrated with the airline and said they were unaware of the issues before arriving at the airport for their flights. More than half of the southwest flights from this airport were canceled on Monday.

Southwest delayed 48% of flights on Sunday and 16% on Monday, and the airline has already canceled 60% of its scheduled flights for Tuesday.

Now the US Department of Transportation is criticizing Southwest, saying the rate of canceled flights is “unacceptable”.

The airline canceled 2,886 flights on Monday, or 70% of scheduled flights, amid a winter storm that affected parts of the country. (Mark Hoffman/USA Today Network via Reuters/Reuters Photos)

HOLIDAY TRAVEL DISRUPTIONS: AIRLINES ISSUE WAIVERS AHEAD OF WINTER STORM

“The USDOT is concerned about Southwest Airlines’ disproportionate and unacceptable rate of cancellations and delays, as well as the failure to properly support customers experiencing cancellations or delays,” the department said in a statement. “As more information becomes available, the department will closely review whether the cancellations were controllable and whether Southwest is complying with its customer service plan, as well as all other relevant DOT rules.”

Southwest declined to comment to FOX News Digital on criticism from passengers and the Department of Transportation, but pointed to an earlier statement in which the airline expressed a “sincere apology” and said it was working to “address any large-scale disruptions” with security at the forefront.

“With consecutive days of extreme winter conditions on our network behind us, the continued challenges are having a significant impact on our customers and employees, which is unacceptable,” the airline said.

Southwest delayed 48% of flights on Sunday and 16% on Monday, and the airline has already canceled 60% of its scheduled flights for Tuesday. ((AP Photo/David Zalubowski)/AP Newsroom)

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“We were full and prepared for the approaching holiday weekend when severe weather swept across the continent, where Southwest is the largest carrier in 23 of the top 25 U.S. travel markets,” the statement continued. “These operational conditions have forced daily changes to our flight schedule at a volume and scale that still have the tools our teams used to restore the airline to full capacity.”

Southwest also said it will continue to operate a reduced schedule by flying about a third of its schedule over the next few days.

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