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Southwest says flights back to normal after Christmas weekend disruption
Southwest Airlines says flight operations have returned to normal after weather issues threatened another Christmas blowout for travelers.
The Texas based airline had to cancel hundreds of flights over Christmas weekend.
There were over 3,000 flight delays from Saturday through Christmas Day.
FlightAware.com reported 536 Southwest flights were canceled.
Much of it was centered on fogbound Chicago Midway Airport and knock on effects across the network.
Blizzards in Colorado also grounded flights in Denver.
“Our operation is currently healthy and stable and we do not anticipate any significant disruptions,” the airline said.
“We continue to have all hands on deck to safely take care of our customers during this busy holiday travel season.”
Southwest Airlines’ epic operational meltdown a year ago is still fresh in the memory for thousands of travelers.
The US Department of Transportation recently imposed a record civil penalty due to last year’s debacle.
It stranded two million passengers with 16,900 flights cancelled over several days during last year’s Christmas period.
The airline was ordered to set aside a $90 million fund for ‘future Southwest passengers affected by cancellations or significant delays.’
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Editor for TravelMole North America and Asia pacific regions. Ray is a highly experienced (15+ years) skilled journalist and editor predominantly in travel, hospitality and lifestyle working with a huge number of major market-leading brands. He has also cover in-depth news, interviews and features in general business, finance, tech and geopolitical issues for a select few major news outlets and publishers.
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