---
title: Southwest Airlines’ travel chaos, explained
description: Southwest Airlines is a real mess right now.
---

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# [Southwest Airlines’ travel chaos, explained](https://hs-sbup.thehustle.co/news/12282022-southwest-airlines-travel-chaos)

 Written by [Juliet Bennett Rylah](https://hs-sbup.thehustle.co/news/author/juliet-bennett-rylah) | Dec 28, 2022 8:29:32 AM

We hope you’re reading this from where you expected to be this morning. If not, is it because Southwest Airlines stranded you?

As of Tuesday morning, the airline had canceled 5.4k+ domestic flights since Monday, with more cancellations to come, [per](https://www.npr.org/2022/12/26/1145536902/southwest-flight-cancellations-winter-storm) *NPR*.

Its stock sank [~6%](https://www.forbes.com/sites/jonathanponciano/2022/12/27/southwest-stock-plunges-flight-cancellations-top-10000-as-feds-examine-airlines-historic-winter-storm-woes/?sh=490f4e5520b7) on Tuesday, while passengers turned to social media to gripe about [missing luggage](https://twitter.com/carlos76410289/status/1607603166756978690) and missed plans.

#### **What’s the deal?**

In October 2021, Southwest canceled 2k+ flights over four days due to bad weather and staffing, resulting in a $75m loss. Then-CEO Gary Kelly [said](https://www.cnn.com/2022/12/27/business/southwest-airlines-service-meltdown/index.html) it’d made adjustments to prevent future chaos.

But while recent winter storms strained many airlines, Southwest accounted for ~2.9k of Monday’s 4k+ cancellations, compared to Delta’s 276.

Southwest also faced:

- **Big storms** at its Chicago and Denver hubs, [per](https://www.cnn.com/2022/12/27/business/southwest-airlines-service-meltdown/index.html) *CNN*
- **Tighter schedules** than other airlines, given its shorter flights
- **Staffing shortages,** due in part to “[tripledemic](https://thehustle.co/12212022-childrens-medication-shortage/)” illnesses and crew members hitting their federally mandated work limits
- **Outdated scheduling systems** that crashed under pressure, leaving employees in chaos

#### **What now?**

For the next several days, Southwest will operate about [one-third](https://swamedia.com/releases/release-7e05ea1637937dc7354128bee7527c20-winterstormelliott) of its schedule. CEO Bob Jordan has also acknowledged that the airline needs to “modernize” its tech.

Meanwhile, the US Department of Transportation is investigating if Southwest’s recent cancellations were “controllable” ([defined](https://www.transportation.gov/airconsumer/airline-customer-service-dashboard) as within the airline’s control), and if it’s complying with its [customer service plan](https://www.southwest.com/assets/pdfs/corporate-commitments/customer-service-plan.pdf?clk=7396032) (what it’s promised to do in the event of controllable cancellations and delays).

**BTW: **President Joe Biden has [encouraged](https://twitter.com/POTUS/status/1607792173923041283) affected passengers to see if they’re eligible for compensation.

[View full post](https://hs-sbup.thehustle.co/news/12282022-southwest-airlines-travel-chaos)

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