US waives $11m fine for Southwest Airlines over 2022 holiday meltdown | Trump administration

The Trump administration said Saturday it would waive an $11 million fine imposed as part of a $140 million settlement against Southwest Airlines over the airline’s meltdown in December 2022 during a busy holiday travel period.

In December 2023, Southwest agreed to pay a $35 million cash penalty over three years for the airline’s handling of the meltdown that stranded more than 2 million passengers. It also agreed to provide $90 million in travel vouchers worth $75 or more to travelers who are at least three hours late in reaching their final destination due to an airline problem or cancellation.

Southwest has decided to invest more than $1 billion in its operations to improve performance and reliability since the 2022 meltdown. The US Department of Transportation also explained in a written order, citing this decision of the airline, why the $ 11 million penalty, which was due by the end of January, was canceled.