Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg reminds Southwest Airlines CEO that thousands of stranded travelers are entitled to meal and hotel vouchers

Pete Buttigieg met with Southwest Airlines CEO Bob Jordan and union leaders to reiterate the company's responsibilities to customers.

According to Buttigieg, the Department of Transportation would hold Southwest accountable after he said the airline had promised to take care of customers.

"Now that we have those commitments that were made to us over the summer, we're going to use that as a tool to hold them accountable," Buttigieg said. The CEO promised me that they will exceed the customer service standards that they have made to us in the past, and that we are in a position to enforce.

Southwest Airlines canceled thousands of flights after the holiday weekend due to the historic winter storm. The airline canceled over 3000 flights on Monday.

Some airline workers have complained that Southwest's scheduling tools are outdated, but Southwest told Insider that the cancellation came because of their scheduling tools.

Customers are encouraged to submit receipts. The airline told Insider that they have helped hotels.

—TransportationGov (@USDOT) December 27, 2022

The Southwest Airlines customer service plan is linked to by the DOT on the social networking site.

• The airline will rebook customers on the next available Southwest flight to your destination at no additional cost. Southwest also provides refunds for tickets.
• For circumstances that are within the airline's control, staff will provide a meal voucher upon request or will provide "reasonable" reimbursement for meals purchased.
• For circumstances that are within the airline's control, staff will arrange lodging upon request if available or provide reasonable reimbursement for lodging. Staff can also offer transportation vouchers or reimbursement.
• For circumstances that are not within the airline's control, staff can try to arrange discounts for lodging near the airport.

The amount of cancelations from Southwest was unacceptable and the US DOT would investigate the cause of the delays.

The US Department of Transportation is concerned by Southwest's poor customer service. Southwest's customer service plan will be examined by the Department.