Chicago(NewsNation Now) — Southwest Airlines cancels or delays thousands of flights, The weekend suffered from major service interruptions.
More than 1,900 flights canceled by airlines over the weekend, according to online trackers FlightAware.. Dallas-based airlines have blamed air traffic control issues and bad weather for weekend “operational challenges” that led to cancellations.
By late Monday morning Southwest Airlines has canceled about 365 flights — 10% of the day’s schedule — and more than 600 others were delayed.
But what exactly is happening? Why did one of the country’s largest airlines face such a big delay and stuck millions of people? This is what we know:
What does Southwest say about cancellations?
Southwest Airlines has blamed air traffic control issues and bad weather for the “operational challenges” that led to the weekend cancellation.
Southwest Airlines NewsNation Although the flight schedule was “close to normal” on Monday morning, they said they were still navigating the effects of new weather and weekend flight turmoil.
“Today we are approaching normal operation and navigating new weather throughout the system. Weekend challenges were not the result of employee demonstrations. To summarize weekend cancellations, bad weather in Florida And the ATC issue was a major operation for us, causing serious flight interruptions throughout the network on Friday night and working on recovery from numerous evacuated crew members and aircraft over the weekend. There is new weather in some of the areas, but today’s operations have improved significantly since the weekend, and the number of cancellations associated with weekend recovery work is much lower. Thank you for the patience of our customers and employees.
Southwestern statement
What does the Federal Aviation Administration say?
The FAA, a provider of air traffic control services, has taken an unusual step against Southwest’s account.
NS The FAA said no air traffic shortages have been reported since Friday. However, some airlines were experiencing schedule issues due to the aircraft and crew being out of place.
Did the COVID-19 vaccination policy play a role?
Southwest Airlines announced last week that employees would need to be fully vaccinated by December 8 to continue working. Workers can be asked to skip shots for medical or religious reasons.
Rumors spread over the weekend that employees had made a major “sick out” in protest of Southwest’s new policy. Southwest Airlines challenged these rumors Monday morning.
Southwest Stayed silent about vaccination requirements Even after President Joe Biden announced a delegation order for vaccines to federal contractors and large employers. United Airlines was the first major US airline to announce vaccination requirements in August.
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Unclaimed baggage will spring up between the carousels for passengers arriving at Denver International Airport on a Southwest Airlines flight in Denver late Sunday, October 10, 2021. Southwest Airlines canceled hundreds of flights over the weekend, blaming air traffic control issues and weather issues. (AP Photo / David Zalubowski) -
Passengers will line up at the Southwest Airlines ticketing counter at Eppley Airfield in Omaha, Nebraska on Sunday, October 10, 2021. Southwest Airlines canceled hundreds of flights over the weekend, blaming air traffic control issues and weather issues. (AP Photo / David Zalubowski) -
Passengers will line up at the Southwest Airlines ticket counter at Eppley Airfield in Omaha, Nebraska on Sunday, October 10, 2021. Southwest Airlines canceled hundreds of flights over the weekend, blaming air traffic control issues and weather issues. (AP Photo / David Zalubowski) -
Southwest Airlines Jetliner will take a taxi down the runway to take off from Denver International Airport in Denver on Friday, July 2, 2021. Southwest Airlines canceled hundreds more flights on Monday, October 11, 2021 after a major weekend outage. By Monday morning, Southwest Airlines had canceled approximately 360 flights and delayed more than 600 flights. (AP Photo / David Zalubowski, file) -
Arlington, Virginia-October 11: Passengers waiting in line in front of the Southwest Airlines counter at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport on October 11, 2021 in Arlington, Virginia. Southwest Airlines canceled more than 2,000 flights over the weekend, and the turmoil continued until Monday, with hundreds of flights canceled so far. (Photo courtesy of Alex Wong / Getty Images)
What is a sick out?
Sick leave is an organized period of sick leave that the group takes as a form of protest.
What does the union say about vaccination rumors?
When Southwest Airlines’ operational meltdown range became apparent, the pilots’ union denied reports that pilots were sicking out or slowing down to protest their vaccination obligations. NS Southwest Airlines Pilot Association “We are aware of operational difficulties,” he said, but “no job activity is permitted and unacceptable.”
The union gave another explanation for the delay. Without the company’s support, Southwest Airlines’ business “was vulnerable with little pressure and suffered a major failure,” he said. The union complained about the “already tense relationship” between the union and the company.
NS The union said last week It will submit a temporary restraint order to prevent the Southwest from enacting vaccine obligations.
A professional flight attendant association, representing more than 24,000 rival American Airlines flight attendants, helped the situation.
“APFA believes that vaccination is the best defense against illness and death from COVID-19, but some members have very strong concerns and beliefs about COVID-19 vaccination. We are fully aware of this, “APFA said in a statement. NewsNation.. “Vaccination is not open to negotiations with management, but we ensure that the company complies with the Executive Order and applicable reasonable accommodation provisions.”
Did other airlines cancel the flight?
Southwest Airlines was the only airline to report delay issues on a large scale.
How was the weather?
NS Bad weather system struck Oklahoma late Sunday night, Arkansaw, Kansas, Missouri, and parts of Texas bring heavy rain, lightning, and wind.
Has Southwest Airlines ever canceled such a flight?
Southwest Airlines struggled with many delayed and canceled flights throughout the summer. In August, it announced that it would reduce its September schedule by 27 flights (less than 1%) and 162 flights (4.5% of the schedule) from early October to November 5.
This story is developing. Update for update.
Southwest Airlines Travel Delays: Breakdown of Flight Interruptions | WGN Radio 720
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