The Department of Transportation is probing some airlines over ‘unrealistic flight schedules,’ partly due to short staffing.
One is Southwest Airlines but the DOT hasn’t named any others.
Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg said officials will take action when airlines knowingly schedule too many flights.
“There’s definitely gaps in places. The system is just uneven right now.”
The DOT is aware staffing shortages are a factor in the high level of flight cancellations and delays.
According to government labor statistics, airlines are short of about 32,000 pilots.
Since the big post-pandemic restart, flight disruptions have surged.
Lawmakers and state AGs have urged the government to do more to ensure airlines aren’t scheduling more flights than they can handle.
“While the industry has blamed weather and ATC issues, data suggests airlines are at fault for many flight delays,” U.S. Senators Edward Markey and Richard Blumenthal said in a letter to airline bosses last year.
