US senator seeks 'full accounting' of Southwest Airlines meltdown refunds

US Senate Commerce Committee chair Maria Cantwell on Thursday asked Southwest Airlines to provide a full accounting of all refunds issued and denied after a December technological meltdown led to the cancellation of 16,700 flights. The Washington senator asked Southwest Airlines COO Andrew Watterson for detailed data from the travel disruptions. Watterson said last week the airline had paid hundreds of millions of dollars in compensation and reimbursements for traveler expenses. Watterson said last week the airline has received about 284,000 cases from passengers impacted by meltdown and reimbursed more than 273,000 -- leaving 10,782. He said those still under review had been submitted more recently. Cantwell wants to know how many passengers got refunds, the total value and how many passengers proactively accepted a voucher or credit or rebooked on Southwest. At a hearing last week before Cantwell's committee, Southwest faced harsh criticism from US senators at a hearing investigating the airline's meltdown that disrupted travel plans for 2m customers, with one lawmaker calling the situation an "unmitigated disaster." The airline and its pilot union offered sharply contrasting reasons for the low-cost carrier's massive travel disruptions. While Southwest cited weather impacts, the union singled out poor preparation and a failure to modernize technology. Watterson said the airline made mistakes and that technology issues were a factor.<br/>