The storm also curtailed air travel, including at Southwest Airlines, which saw major airports in Denver and Chicago hammered by harsh conditions.īut the particularly severe disruption at Southwest Airlines is due in large part to the company's approach to flight scheduling, which departs from the typical hub-and-spoke model that most airlines rely on, Henry Harteveldt, a travel industry analyst at Atmosphere Research Group, told ABC News via email. MORE: Southwest CEO apologizes to passengers, staff after flight cancellation chaos While the snowstorm grounded flights in and out of key airports in Southwest's network, the historic scale of cancellations stems from the company's uniquely complex flight coordination model and its antiquated internal scheduling systems, according to flight experts, Southwest Airlines officials and union leaders. Maria Cantwell, D-Wash., the chair of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation, said the problems at Southwest Airlines "go beyond weather." In an interview with ABC News' Byron Pitts, Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg on Tuesday described the wave of flight cancellations at Southwest Airlines as a "shocking and unacceptable level of disruption." Meanwhile Sen. Each figure accounted for less than 1% of the respective company's total flights. The holiday meltdown at Southwest Airlines, however, has far eclipsed its competitors.īy Wednesday afternoon, the company had canceled more than 2,500 flights planned for the day, which amounted to 62% of the day's total, according to the flight tracking website FlightAware.īy contrast, as of Wednesday afternoon, United Airlines had canceled just 11 flights scheduled for the day while American Airlines had canceled 23, FlightAware said. with snow, slowing air travel during a peak season and causing tens of thousands of flight cancellations. "He is looking forward to his day in court," Bedi said.įive questions answered.A massive storm has blanketed much of the U.S. In a statement, defense attorney Jonathan Bedi said Martin "is a wonderful family man, who has young children and he is loved by all who know him." USA TODAY could not immediately reach Brooks. The two are expected to be arraigned in federal court in Chicago. Each count of wire fraud is punishable by up to 20 years in federal prison. Martin faces 12 counts of wire fraud, and Brooks faces four. Lori Lightfoot: Former Chicago mayor to teach at Harvard University in the fall The " Southwest Luv Vouchers" were intended to compensate customers for unfavorable experiences. He then sold the vouchers at below market value to Chicago resident Ned Brooks, 46, and others in exchange for cash, the indictment states. Watch Video: AP Top Stories June 6th P.M.ĬHICAGO – A customer service representative for Southwest Airlines has been charged with fraudulently creating and selling travel vouchers worth more than $1.87 million.Īn indictment in federal court Tuesday alleges Dajuan Martin, 36, of Bolingbrook, Illinois, was working for Southwest at Midway Airport in Chicago when he used fictitious customer names to fraudulently generate the vouchers without the airline’s knowledge or approval.
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