Southwest Airlines canceled more than 2,500 flights on Wednesday, a day after CEO Bob Jordan apologized to travelers for the thousands of canceled flights.
Travelers wait in line at the Southwest Airlines ticket counter. The photo was taken by the same person.
On Wednesday, Southwest canceled 2,508 flights, or 62% of its flights, and on Thursday, it canceled 2, 347 flights, or 42% of its schedule.
On ABC's Good Morning America, Buttigieg said, "We are past the point where they can say this is a weather-driven issue."
The Department of transportation will hold Southwest accountable to its promises to customers and ensure it refunds passengers whose flights were canceled, buttigieg said, adding the airline should also compensate stranded travelers for hotels, alternate transportation and meal expenses.
In a statement issued Tuesday, Jordan said he was "truly sorry" for the Southwest cancelations and attributed them to weather and the airline's "complex" point-to-point network.
Jordan predicted the airline would be back up to speed before next week, but said Southwest would fly on a reduced schedule to catch up, and promised to upgrade systems to avoid another mass cancellation.
More than 50 people were killed from the effects of a historic snowstorm in Buffalo, New York, and thousands of passengers were stranded as airlines were crippled over the Christmas weekend. More than 3,200 flights were canceled Monday. As of Wednesday, there were 1,700 delays and 2,373 cancelations. As many Southwest staff and planes are out of position, the airline needs to significantly reduce its flying. Delta said it would cap fares through Saturday in all Southwest markets.
Southwest stock fell to its lowest level in over a month on Tuesday.
It was 377. That is the number of flights that were canceled in and out of Denver International Airport on Wednesday.
Southwest stock plunges as FedsExamine airline's historic winter storm.
There were more than 100,000 homes without power on Christmas day.
There was a record snowfall and two million without power.
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