Southwest Airlines Hit With Record $140 Million Fine

The federal government has imposed a record $140 million fine on Southwest Airlines for last year's historic 10-day holiday meltdown that stranded over 2 million travelers, CNN reported.

Southwest has already paid $600 million in refunds and reimbursements to affected passengers. I Photo: PR Newswire

The Department of Transportation (DOT) described this penalty as its largest-ever civil fine, approximately one year after Southwest experienced extensive operational issues leading to the cancellation of nearly 17,000 flights during the busy holiday travel period.

The DOT attributed the fine to "numerous violations of consumer protection laws" during and after the operational failures, including inadequate communication with passengers, insufficient customer service, and delayed passenger refunds.

Southwest has already paid $600 million in refunds and reimbursements to affected passengers, according to the DOT.

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