Dozens of Southwest Airlines flights were canceled or delayed late Saturday and early Sunday as dense fog continued to blanket the Chicago area, leaving vacationers hoping to spend time with their families stranded in the muggy heat. .
Fog began impacting Southwest Airlines’ Midway flights starting Saturday night and departing from Midway Sunday morning, the airline said.
as a result, Southwest Airlines canceled 186 flights at Midway. According to the Chicago Department of Aviation. As of late Sunday afternoon when the fog cleared, average delays to the Southwest were about two hours at Midway Airport and less than 15 minutes at O’Hare International Airport.
“Delays and detours continue to occur as the effects of fog remain,” a spokesperson said. “We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause to our customers as we strive to deliver them safely to their destinations.”
Southwest Airlines said in a statement that Midway is the airline’s fourth-busiest airport operation, with more than 200 flights scheduled to depart each day over the weekend.
Sunday’s cancellation comes almost exactly one year after a glitch in the airline’s operating system caused thousands of flight cancellations and delays. Southwest Airlines reached a $140 million settlement last week as a result of the meltdown.
My administration has filed a $140 million penalty against Southwest Airlines for the 2022 holiday meltdown.
This is over $600 million @USDOT Refunds have been secured for passengers who faced disruption.
Thanks to taxpayers, airlines have been able to survive during COVID-19. They should get a better deal.
— President Biden (@POTUS) December 19, 2023
“My administration has filed a $140 million penalty against Southwest Airlines for the 2022 holiday meltdown,” President Joe Biden said in a statement on social media. “Taxpayers have kept airlines afloat during the coronavirus pandemic. They should get a better deal.”
The Department of Transportation found that the airline failed to provide “timely and adequate refunds to thousands of passengers for flights that the airline canceled or significantly altered.” Failed to issue “prompt flight status notifications to more than 1 million passengers” regarding flight disruptions. and failed to provide “adequate customer service assistance to hundreds of thousands of consumers during widespread operational abnormalities.”
Southwest Airlines executives assured the traveling public this year that they had upgraded their technology to avoid a crisis like last year’s, but the pilots union blamed a lack of investment.
Last week it was announced pilots in the South West would vote in January on a deal that could see them increase their pay by 50% over a five-year contract period.
This is the second day in a row that the National Weather Service has issued a fog advisory for the Chicago area. Parts of central, east central, north central and northeastern Illinois and northwestern Indiana will be affected.
The Bureau of Meteorology said dense fog reduced visibility to less than 400 meters, creating dangerous driving conditions.
The weather on Christmas Day is expected to be rainy, with highs in the mid-50s, according to the Bureau of Meteorology. Rain will continue into Monday night with low temperatures around 45 degrees.
Contributor: Mohammad Samra