Southwest apologizes for holiday travel meltdown: 'We messed up'
Andrew Watterson, the airline's chief operating officer, acknowledged operational failures in testimony before the Senate Commerce Committee.
The Senate Commerce Committee held a hearing Thursday on the operational meltdown that caused Southwest Airlines to cancel more than 16,000 flights in late December.
Andrew Watterson, Southwest’s chief operating officer, apologized for the cancellations, which affected travel plans for about 2 million customers during a busy holiday season.
"Let me be clear: We messed up," Watterson said during his testimony, adding that the company is undergoing "a system-wide review of our preparedness for winter operations" to ensure such a meltdown does not happen again.
Casey Murray, president of the Southwest Airlines Pilots Association, said that "a cascade of events" contributed to a company-wide failure.
"It was a failure, epically, from top to bottom," Murray said in his testimony.
Meanwhile, the U.S. Department of Transportation is investigating whether Southwest engaged in “unrealistic scheduling of flights.” Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg, who was not at the hearing, called the cancellations “unacceptable.”
For a recap of highlights from the hearing, see the Yahoo News liveblog below.
