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Southwest Airlines expects to return to normal operations Friday

Winter Weather Travel Phoenix
Posted at 11:10 AM, Dec 29, 2022
and last updated 2022-12-29 13:10:13-05

After nearly a week of canceling most of its flights, Southwest Airlines anticipates “minimal disruptions” on Friday.

The airline said it is investing in new solutions to manage wide-scale disruptions. The announcement comes after the airline canceled over 60% of its flights on Thursday, according to FlightAware.

“We are encouraged by the progress we've made to realign Crew, their schedules, and our fleet. With another holiday weekend full of important connections for our valued Customers and Employees, we are eager to return to a state of normalcy,” the airline wrote on Thursday.

Southwest Airlines said it would accept reimbursement requests from passengers impacted by the carrier's mass cancellations this week.

The airline posted a link on its website, saying it will honor “reasonable requests” for reimbursement for expenses incurred due to flight cancellations. Among the expenses listed include hotel accommodations, rental cars, other airline tickets, and food.

Reimbursing customers is coming amid pressure from the Department of Transportation. While last week’s major winter storm started the disruptions, Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg has said the airline is at fault for not resuming normal operations in the days since.