The U.S. Department of Transportation imposed a substantial $140 million fine on Southwest Airlines for breaches of consumer protection laws during the 2022 Christmas period. This unprecedented fine, dwarfing any previous penalties by 30 times, is on top of the over $600 million in refunds and reimbursements that the DOT ensured Southwest provided its passengers. While the disruption resulted from Winter Storm Elliott, resulting in 16,900 canceled flights and over two million people stranded, the U.S. DOT found Southwest’s operational failures aggravated passenger inconvenience.

DALLAS — Southwest Airlines will pay a $35 million fine as part of a $140 million agreement to settle a federal investigation into a debacle in December 2022 when the airline canceled thousands of flights and stranded more than 2 million travelers over the holidays. Most of the settlement will go toward compensating future passengers, which the U.S. Department of Transportation considers an incentive for Southwest to avoid repeating last winter's mess. The government said the assessment was the largest it has ever imposed on an airline for violating consumer...

The U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT) consent order resolves a lengthy government investigation into the massive travel disruption and provides "a strong deterrent," the agency said. The settlement includes a $35 million cash fine and a three-year mandate that Southwest provide $90 million in travel vouchers of $75 or more to passengers delayed at least three hours getting to final destinations because of an airline-caused issue or cancellation. The "industry leading" U.S.

The federal government is fining Southwest Airlines $140 million for last year’s historic, 10-day-long holiday meltdown that stranded more than 2 million travelers. The Department of Transportation’s (DOT) announcement of its largest ever civil penalty comes about one year after cascading issues at Southwest led to the cancelation of nearly 17,000 flights. Those flights made up nearly half of Southwest’s flight schedule during the busy holiday travel period.

Southwest will pay a $140 million fine for its meltdown during the 2022 holidays WASHINGTON — Southwest Airlines is still paying for its meltdown during the 2022 holidays that stranded millions of travelers — and the tab is growing. The U.S. Transportation Department has ordered Southwest to pay a $140 million civil penalty, part of a broader consent order after the airline's operational failures a year ago. That penalty is by far the largest the DOT has ever levied for consumer protection violations, according to a statement from the department....

The airline said it was pleased to reach a "consumer-friendly settlement." Southwest Airlines has been handed a record $140 million fine for its operational meltdown during the 2022 holiday travel season, the U.S. Department of Transportation said Monday. The civil penalty leveled against the airline is about 30 times larger than any previous fine against an airline, DOT officials said in a press release. The DOT said it will also require Southwest to start issuing a $75 flight credit to any passenger whose arrival is delayed more than 3 hours...

Dallas-based Southwest Airlines will pay $35 million to the U.S. Department of Transportation and start offering vouchers to some delayed customers as penance for last year’s holiday meltdown that has already cost the company more than $1.1 billion. The settlement with the federal government comes after a year-long investigation into the breakdown of Southwest’s network last year after winter storms crippled airline operations in Denver and Chicago in late December, forcing the carrier to cancel more than 16,000 flights even as the rest of the industry recovered quickly. As part...

The Department of Transportation fined Southwest Airlines $140 million for major flight disruptions during the 2022 holiday season and resulted in nearly 17,000 significantly delayed or canceled flights, the DOT announced Monday. The civil penalty — which the DOT said is 30 times larger than any prior department penalty for consumer protection violations — will mostly go toward paying future Southwest passengers affected by major delays or cancellations caused by the airline, the Transportation Department said in a release.

The Transportation Department fined Southwest Airlines $140 million for what it said were multiple violations of the law during its meltdown around last Christmas and New Year’s, while also ordering the airline to establish a $90 million fund to compensate passengers affected by future delays. The department said the penalty announced Monday was 30 times larger than any it had issued in the past for breaches of airline consumer protections.