And so in the United States, the world’s largest low-cost company – Corriere.it – ​​collapsed

the Bad weather in North America It disrupted the schedules of many US airlines, but one in particular — Southwest Airlines — was brought to its knees. In six days — from December 22 to 27 — the world’s largest low-cost carrier canceled 10,114 flights, Flightradar24 calculates, leaving 1.4 million people stranded, according to an estimate from courier Based on the average fill rate for the period. On December 28, the company will cancel another 2,515 connections, more than 60% of the connections scheduled for the day. It won’t be any better the next day (2,455 flights have already been cancelled). Scenes at airports with thousands of stranded travelers prompted US Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg to call Southwest CEO Bob Jordan for an official explanation.

Telecommunication network

“What began on December 22 with major disruptions in Denver, the Southwest hub with the highest number of scheduled takeoffs, escalated into a veritable torrent of cancellations in the following days, with more than 60% of flights canceled at least three days in a row,” he said. Al explains courier Edward Russell is an air transport expert for the specialist website Skift. But why did this happen in particular to the low cost? For at least two reasons, – continues Russell. First: Southwest’s scheduling method for connections. The company operates point-to-point flights in which planes and crew touch down several cities in a single day, often without returning to the airport of origin.

“old technology”

The second reason for the collapse, according to the expert, lies in “its outdated technology for flight regulation platforms. When bad weather disrupted travel, particularly in Denver – where there was also a surge in sick people – the airline effectively lost track of the whereabouts of the crew and whether anyone was still authorized to work or had to rest strictly to comply with the rules. Federal. All of this has led to “Southwest Operations This Week in Chaos”. “Chaos” that by accounts couriercould cost the carrier at least $350 million.

Coming days

For Russell “Unfortunately, it will likely be days before Southwest returns to its normal operations.” What doesn’t help, then, is also the holiday period: “With all companies’ flights full for the holidays, there are few empty seats to reaccommodate stranded Southwest passengers.” Many Southwest travelers said on social media that they also booked a flight with another airline just to be safe, which drove up fares even more. It is also for this reason that Transport Minister Buttigieg wrote on Twitter that all “companies must limit fares on these routes (in the southwest, so) to help people who need to go home.”

In the aftermath of widespread disruption, we are working diligently to safely restore our operations and accommodate displaced customers and crews. We know this is unacceptable and we sincerely apologize. If your travel is affected, explore self-catering options here: https://t.co/B6L8HR9Yqc pic.twitter.com/mLWndYMned

Southwest Airlines December 28, 2022

reactions

After days of chaos, the CEO of Southwest Jordan emerged with a videotape. “We are doing everything we can to restore operations and I am really sorry for what is happening,” said the low-cost front man who thanked the staff and explained the cause of the crash. In a memorandum from the Department of Transportation, Minister Buttigieg threatened to take measures against the company if the latter did not take action to assist and compensate customers.