No airline currently offers cash compensation in addition to refunds or amenities. The White House plans to change that. The move comes after a chaotic holiday travel season.
NPR obtained Chief Operating Officer Andrew Watterson's prepared testimony for his scheduled appearance before a Senate committee to discuss what led to thousands of flights being canceled.
In his State of the Union speech, President Biden addressed the Junk Fees Prevention Act, which aims to limit the hidden fees and charges that exist in the entertainment and travel industries.
The meltdowns that recently brought flights to a halt have prompted lawmakers to draft new rules for airlines. The changes would give travelers at least $1,350 if bumped from an overbooked flight.
The Department of Transportation says it is looking into the airline's flight scheduling practices and will hold it accountable for refunds. The 16,700 canceled flights cost Southwest $800 million.
The airline has promoted some senior-level officials after a historic failure that affected hundreds of thousands of passengers during peak holiday travel.
Southwest Airlines says disruptions that led to more than 16,700 cancelled flights over the holidays will have severe financial consequences for the company.
Southwest Airlines says it will award the travelers who were caught in the surge of canceled flights during the holidays 25,000 frequent-flyer points, an award worth more than $300 in flights.
Passengers who looked for last-minute tickets encountered sky-high prices — in some cases, triple or quadruple the rate for the same route in the last few months. Experts say it's fairly normal.
Ahead of the New Year's weekend, the airline said that Friday will see minimal disruptions after its slashed schedule stranded hundreds of thousands of travelers during a wintry holiday stretch.
Southwest isn't the only airline experiencing delays and cancellations, but it is by far the worst-hit, with about 5,500 of its flights canceled across the country in the last two days.
The airline said it will address the situation with the pilot and that it doesn't condone employees sharing personal political opinions while working or tolerate behavior that leads to divisiveness.