Southwest Airlines cancels thousands more flights as federal government says it will investigate

(CBS NEWS) — Southwest Airlines scrubbed thousands of flights again Wednesday as the company faces frustration from passengers and scrutiny from federal officials over its handling of its schedule in the aftermath of a massive storm that wrecked Christmas travel plans across the U.S.

According to tracking service Flight Aware, more than 2,500 flights scheduled for Wednesday were canceled before 7 a.m., the vast majority of all the 2,747 canceled flights within, into or out of the U.S. set for that day. On Tuesday, a day after most U.S. airlines had recovered from the storm, Southwest had called off about 2,600 more flights on the East Coast by late afternoon Tuesday. Those flights accounted for more than 80% of the 3,000 trips that got canceled nationwide Tuesday, according to FlightAware.

And the chaos seemed certain to continue. The airline also scrubbed more than 2,300 flights set for Thursday as it tried to restore order to its mangled schedule.

At airports with major Southwest operations, customers stood in long lines hoping to find a seat on another flight. They described waiting hours on hold for help, only to be cut off. Some tried to rent cars to get to their destinations sooner. Others found spots to sleep on the floor. Luggage piled up in huge heaps.

Conrad Stoll, a 66-year-old retired construction worker in Missouri, planned to fly from Kansas City to Los Angeles for his father’s 90th birthday party until his Southwest flight was canceled early Tuesday. He said he won’t get to see his 88-year-old mother either.

“I went there in 2019, and she looked at me and said, ‘I’m not going to see you again.'” Stoll said. “My sister has been taking care of them, and she’s just like, ‘They’re really losing it really quick.'”