In a surprise move, the Trump administration has announced its intention to waive an $11 million fine imposed on Southwest Airlines as part of a larger settlement over the carrier's infamous 2022 holiday meltdown. The airline had previously agreed to pay a whopping $35 million in cash fines over three years, with a further $90 million worth of travel vouchers to be handed out to passengers who were delayed by at least three hours.
The fine was initially imposed as part of a $140 million settlement, but the US Transportation Department has now cited Southwest's subsequent efforts to improve its operations and reliability - including an investment of over $1 billion in recent years - as a reason for waiving the remaining amount. The department pointed to this increased commitment to performance and reliability as evidence that Southwest had taken steps to address the issues that led to the 2022 meltdown.
The waiver brings an end to a long-standing dispute between the airline and the government, with Southwest having shown a clear willingness to take concrete action to prevent similar incidents in the future. By waiving this final fine component, the administration appears to be signaling its satisfaction with the airline's efforts to reform its operations and improve passenger experience.
The fine was initially imposed as part of a $140 million settlement, but the US Transportation Department has now cited Southwest's subsequent efforts to improve its operations and reliability - including an investment of over $1 billion in recent years - as a reason for waiving the remaining amount. The department pointed to this increased commitment to performance and reliability as evidence that Southwest had taken steps to address the issues that led to the 2022 meltdown.
The waiver brings an end to a long-standing dispute between the airline and the government, with Southwest having shown a clear willingness to take concrete action to prevent similar incidents in the future. By waiving this final fine component, the administration appears to be signaling its satisfaction with the airline's efforts to reform its operations and improve passenger experience.
? 11 million is a huge number, I hope Southwest gets to invest that in better infrastructure and staff training rather than paying it out 
. It's good to see the administration acknowledging their efforts, but $35 million was still a crazy amount to start with 
. Travel vouchers for passengers who got delayed are a nice touch tho 
. The airline's willingness to change is what matters most – let's hope they can maintain that momentum 
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. I mean, who wouldn't want to waive an 11 million dollar fine when they've been making so many efforts to turn things around? It's like they're giving the airline a pat on the back for doing something right for once. And let's be real, that $35 million cash fine and 90 million travel vouchers were already super generous, but still... I'm glad it all worked out in the end. It just goes to show you can't judge an airline based on one bad year, they're taking steps to fix things now! 
! Waiving that last $11 million fine shows they're willing to listen & adapt. Southwest had their issues in 2022, but the fact that they've invested so much into fixing things ($1b+!) and shown a willingness to take responsibility for those mistakes... it's a good move 
. Now let's hope this sets a precedent for other airlines & industries to step up their game too 
, I'm actually surprised they're waiving that last $11 million fine! I mean, Southwest did try to make things right after that holiday meltdown in 2022, and it looks like their efforts have paid off. Interesting 
how the US Transportation Department is giving them a pass now, though. They must really believe that Southwest has turned a corner 
. It's gonna be interesting to see if other airlines are gonna follow suit with similar improvements...
after the 2022 holiday meltdown! i gotta say, i'm kinda surprised they didn't have to pay more considering how many people were affected by those delays 
. but hey, it's a good sign for the airline if they're willing to invest so much in improving their operations 
. i hope they can build on this momentum and become an even better airline 
, it was like "what happened to this airline?" But I guess they listened to all the complaints from passengers (like me 
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? I was literally stuck on the tarmac for like, hours, and I was ready to pull my hair out! But you know what? They took responsibility, apologized, and made some serious changes. It's about time they got this fine waived 
. I'm not surprised the government is happy with their progress either - it's only fair that they get another chance to show us they can do better. And $90 million in travel vouchers? That's just gravy 
!
like it was nothing. i remember when my grandma flew with southwest back in 2015 and she got delayed for like an hour or two, but the airline gave her a decent voucher for it. nowadays, it's all about the billions of dollars they're spending on improvements... it's just so much money