Southwest Airlines Cancels 67% All Flights During Holiday Meltdown

• Southwest Airlines cancelled thousands of flights the day after Christmas. 
• Nearly 50% of all global flight cancellations were made by the Dallas-based airline.
• The cancellations caused havoc at airports across America, from Denver to Baltimore.

Southwest Airlines cancelled more than 2,700 flights on the day after Christmas than any other US-based airline.

According to FlightAware, Southwest had cancelled 2,725 flights by 5 p.m. December 26. That’s 67% of its total flights.

Thousands of flight delays and cancellationsOver Christmas weekend, the United States was hit by a devastating winter storm that caused heavy snowfall and power outages in Northeast. 

On Monday night, Denver, Las Vegas and Chicago Midway were the airports with the highest number of cancellations. 

According to FlightAware, Southwest cancelled the most flights of any airline based in the US Monday. Delta, which cancelled 262 flights, was second. United cancelled 133 flights. American Airlines cancelled only 12 flights, but it experienced 792 delays. This account accounted for almost a quarter worldwide flight delays on Monday. 

Southwest Flight No. 2 was the one that was cancelled worldwide due to the winter storm. 

Airports across the country witnessed chaotic scenes as a result of the cancellations. 

A reporter for 9News in Denver tweetedMonday afternoon, some passengers at Denver International Airport, Southwest responsible for hundreds of flight cancellations and stranded for days, reported that the line to rebook took over three hours. 

—Courtney Yuen (@courtyuen) December 26, 2022

Meanwhile, a reporter for ABC15 in PhoneixAs they discovered that Southwest Airlines would no longer be operating scheduled flights, frustrated passengers at the Phoneix Sky Harbor International Airport were shocked. 

—Marc Thompson (@marcthompson) December 26, 2022

In Dallas, a spokesperson for TWU Local 556Southwest Airlines Flight Attendants Union blasted Southwest Airlines Flight Attendants Union for not investing enough in technology to prevent travel disruptions during its rapid expansion over the past several years. 

—Brandon Richard (@BrandonLRichard) December 26, 2022