Southwest admits major failure as Congress grills airline over mass flight cancellations

By Cami Mondeaux

Published February 9, 2023 4:56pm ET

Southwest admits major failure as Congress grills airline over mass flight cancellations — FILE - Travelers queue up at the check-in counters for Southwest Airlines in Denver International Airport, Friday, Dec. 30, 2022, in Denver. Southwest Airlines is trying to fix its relationship with travelers who got stuck by canceled flights over the holidays. On Tuesday, Jan. 3, 2023, Southwest told affected travelers that they will get 25,000 frequent-flyer points, which are worth more than $300 in tickets. | (AP Photo/David Zalubowski, File)

Top executives for Southwest Airlines apologized for the operational failures that left customers stranded nationwide in December, acknowledging company leaders failed to prepare for winter storm conditions that caused thousands of flight delays and cancellations.