The FAA said no air traffic staffing shortages had been reported since Friday but that some airlines were experiencing scheduling challenges due to aircraft and crews being out of place. The FAA, which provides air traffic control services, took the unusual step of pushing back against Southwest’s explanation.

What is the Federal Aviation Administration saying? Southwest Airlines CEO Gary Kelly told CNBC the company hoped to return to normal services by Wednesday and apologized for the delays. In previous statements, the company apologized for delays and blamed the cancellations on weather and “other external constraints, which left aircraft and Crews out of pre-planned positions to operate our schedule on Saturday.” If Customers require assistance from Southwest, they can utilize one of the airline’s self-service options for convenience or Contact Us via one of the methods listed on. We’ve built a reputation around safe, reliable, friendly air travel, delivered with legendary Southwest Hospitality, and we’re sorry to anyone whose experience did not reflect that over the past several days. The Southwest Team appreciates the patience of Customers, and we extend our gratitude to our Employees who have worked tirelessly to stabilize our operation. Southwest issued a statement to NewsNation on Tuesday, saying that the flight schedule was “more normal.”Īs we complete efforts to stabilize our network, Southwest expects a more normal operation on Tuesday with approximately 90 system-wide cancellations out of the airline’s almost 3,300 flights scheduled for the day. Southwest has blamed air traffic control issues and bad weather for the “operational challenges” that resulted in the weekend cancellations. “Our pilots will continue to overcome SWA management’s poor planning, as well as any external operational challenges, and remain the most productive pilots in the world,” the union said in the statement.Southwest cancels thousands of flights nationwide, blames woes on air traffic control issues and weatherīut what exactly is going on? Why did one of the nation’s biggest airlines face such major delays, stranding millions? Here’s what we know: What is Southwest saying about the cancellations? The Southwest Airlines Pilots Association, the union for Southwest’s pilots, said Saturday that none of its members were participating in a strike or other labor action. He did not immediately answer additional questions about what caused the limited staffing in Jacksonville on Friday. “Some airlines continue to experience scheduling challenges due to aircraft and crews being out of place.” “Flight delays and cancellations occurred for a few hours Friday afternoon due to widespread severe weather, military training, and limited staffing in one area of the Jacksonville Air Route Traffic Control Center,” spokesman Steve Kulm said. The Federal Aviation Administration said in a statement Sunday that it experienced “limited staffing” at an air traffic control center in Jacksonville, Fla., on Friday. “…With fewer frequencies between cities in our current schedule, recovering during operational challenges is more difficult and prolonged.” “We experienced weather challenges in our Florida airports at the beginning of the weekend, challenges that were compounded by unexpected air traffic control issues in the same region, triggering delays and prompting significant cancellations for us beginning Friday evening,” the statement said. Southwest’s representatives did not answer questions Sunday about whether its recent COVID-19 vaccine mandate affected the cancellations, but said in a statement that the airline’s problems started in Florida. The company said it expected to see a high volume of canceled flights throughout the weekend as it works to get flights back on track. Southwest blamed the mass cancellations on “air traffic control issues and disruptive weather,” in a Facebook post Saturday night. Passengers on Southwest Airlines experienced some turbulence Sunday as the airline canceled more than 1,000 flights nationwide, including nearly 150 flights into or out of Denver, according to the flight-tracking website Flight Aware. Digital Replica Edition Home Page Close Menu

Southwest airlines delays flights