Southwest Fined $140M Over Holiday Travel Meltdown
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Southwest Airlines fined $140 million by federal government for December 2022 meltdown that caused nearly 17,000 flight cancellations and stranded over 2 million travelers
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Fine is the largest civil penalty ever issued by the Department of Transportation
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Most of the fine will go into a $90 million fund to compensate future Southwest passengers affected by significant delays or cancellations
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Southwest blames "antiquated" scheduling systems and lack of preparation for winter operations for the meltdown
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CEO promises airline has improved internal controls and technology investments to prevent future meltdowns