Dec 6 (Reuters) – The Trump administration said Saturday it will waive an $11 million fine imposed on Southwest Airlines as part of a $140 million settlement over the carrier’s meltdown in December 2022 during a busy holiday travel period.
Southwest in December 2023 agreed to provide over three years to pay a $35 million cash fine and provide $90 million in travel vouchers of $75 or more to passengers delayed at least three hours getting to final destinations because of an airline-caused issue or cancellation over the airline’s handling of the meltdown that stranded more than 2 million passengers.
The U.S. Transportation Department in a written order cited Southwest’s decision to invest over $1 billion in its operations to improve performance and reliability since the 2022 meltdown in explaining its decision to waiver the remaining $11 million of the fine that was due by the end of January.
(Reporting by David Shepardson; Editing by Chizu Nomiyama )
