WASHINGTON (WABNEWS) — US airports returned to normal on Friday New Year’s Eve, registering fewer than 100 cancellations, the majority of Southwest Airlines, after a week of disruptions caused by Storm Elliott.
A total of 98 scheduled flights to and from the United States were canceled today, compared with more than 2,500 flights canceled on Thursday, according to FlightAware portal counts.
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Of these, 41 belong to low-cost carrier Southwest, which is responsible for New Year’s Eve cancellations being investigated by the US government.
Southwest, in front of the hurricane
The company, which attributes air disruptions to the effects of a winter storm over Christmas, canceled more than 2,300 flights yesterday. guaranteed.
The company said, “We appreciate the dedication of the Southwest team to restore schedules and minimize disruptions over the weekend.
Southwest Airlines claimed that customers could fill out a form on its website to be reimbursed for flight, meal and hotel charges resulting from the cancellations that millions of people have suffered recently.
U.S. Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg on Thursday condemned Southwest’s “unacceptable behavior” in a letter sent to the Dallas, Texas-based CEO, in which he said, His investigative powers should be used to the fullest to hold Southwest Airlines accountable if West Airlines fails to meet its promises to reimburse passengers.
While other airlines experienced storm cancellations and recovered “relatively quickly,” Southwest Airlines did not.
The company attributes the collapse to hundreds of pilots and flight attendants being knocked out by winter storm Elliott.
storm effects
In total, more than 50 people died in cold weather and accidents, another 1.7 million households lost power, and thousands of passengers hoped to be reunited with their families on Christmas Eve and Christmas.
Buffalo, in Aire County in northwestern New York, was the area most affected by the storm. US President Joe Biden has declared a state of emergency, with local officials estimating the death toll at 37.
