Southwest Airlines Co. Rotten Score Breakdown

The U.S. Department of Transportation imposed a $140 million civil penalty on Southwest Airlines in December 2023 for numerous violations of federal consumer-protection laws during and after the airline's massive operational collapse over the 2022 Christmas holiday and New Year period. Southwest cancelled approximately 16,900 flights and stranded more than two million passengers during the disruption. The Department found that Southwest failed on numerous occasions to provide prompt or proper refunds to passengers whose flights the airline cancelled or significantly changed. DOT also found that Southwest failed to provide prompt flight-status notifications and failed to provide adequate customer-service assistance during the widespread disruption. The Department stated that these failures violated federal aviation consumer-protection requirements. The $140 million penalty was approximately 30 times larger than any previous DOT consumer-protection penalty against an airline at the time. The penalty was in addition to more than $600 million in refunds and reimbursements that DOT said Southwest had already provided to passengers affected by the meltdown. A substantial portion of the penalty was structured to benefit future Southwest passengers who experience controllable cancellations or significant delays. The consent order directs Southwest to cease and desist from similar future violations. Primary sources: U.S. Department of Transportation — DOT Penalizes Southwest Airlines $140 Million for 2022 Holiday Meltdown: https://www.transportation.gov/briefing-room/dot-penalizes-southwest-airlines-140-million-2022-holiday-meltdown DOT Consent Order 2023-12-11: https://www.transportation.gov/airconsumer/southwest-order-2023-12-11