Southwest cancellations continue as rival carriers cap fares to help stranded flyers

Southwest slashed another 2,500 flights on Wednesday, sending more frustrated customers scrambling to find seats on other airlines. The Dallas-based carrier’s cuts amounted to 60% of its schedule and nearly 90% of overall cancellations in the US on Wednesday, marking another day of disruptions even as weather conditions and operations at other airlines improved. Close to 60% of Southwest flights were already canceled for Thursday. It scrubbed less than 1% of the schedule for Friday, but the carrier still has to accommodate the thousands of travelers left stranded by its meltdown. Airlines have canceled thousands of flights since last week when severe winter weather roiled holiday travel around the US, but Southwest’s outsized disruptions have drawn scrutiny from the Biden administration and lawmakers. Southwest has blamed its performance on its internal technology platforms that were overloaded by schedule changes. That forced pilots and flight attendants to reach out to scheduling services by phone for new assignments, hotels and other accommodations. Hold times lasted hours, crews and unions said. “There are hoards of Teams working on solutions right now and have been for days and days,” Southwest CEO Bob Jordan said in a staff message on Tuesday. “Ultimately, though, this stops with me. I’m accountable for this and I own our issues and I own our recovery. I want you to know that as well.” <br/>