Southwest fined $140 million for last year's holiday meltdown

LTC Eugene Chu
..."Speaking at an industry event in New York last week, CEO Bob Jordan vowed that last year's holiday meltdown "will never happen again," just days ahead of the busy holiday travel period.

The carrier's executives have touted a host of improvements this year that they say will help it avoid a repeat of last year. Southwest purchased additional de-icing equipment and upgraded crew scheduling technology that last year fell short of what it needed to reschedule pilots and flight attendants during the disruptions.

Those shortfalls last year contributed to the chaos.

"We have spent the past year acutely focused on efforts to enhance the Customer Experience with significant investments and initiatives that accelerate operational resiliency, enhance cross-team collaboration and bolster overall preparedness for winter operations," Jordan said in a news release Monday."