![]() ![]() Others found spots to sleep on the floor. Some tried to rent cars to get to their destinations sooner. They described waiting hours on hold for help, only to be cut off. The airline has already scrubbed another 2,500 flights for Wednesday and nearly 1,400 for Thursday as it tried to restore order to its mangled schedule.Īt airports with major Southwest operations, customers stood in long lines hoping to find a seat on another flight. The Southwest cancellations on Tuesday accounted for more than 80 percent of the 3,000 trips that got canceled nationwide Tuesday, according to tracking service FlightAware.Īnd the chaos seemed certain to continue. Southwest Airlines travellers baggage lies unclaimed at Chicago Midway International Airport ![]() Our Administration is working to ensure airlines are held accountable,' Biden wrote on Twitter. 'Thousands of flights nationwide have been canceled around the holidays. President Joe Biden also weighed in as desperate passengers were forced to sleep in terminals surrounded by growing mounds of lost luggage. Two Senate Democrats called on Southwest to provide 'significant' compensation for stranded travelers, saying that the airline has the money because it plans to pay $428 million in dividends next month. In Congress, the Senate Commerce Committee also promised an investigation. Late Monday, the DOT tweeted that it would examine 'Southwest's unacceptable rate of cancellations' and whether the airline was meeting its legal obligations to stranded customers. Jordan said he was in contact with the US Department of Transportation and had 'reached out' to Buttigieg earlier on Tuesday. 'With our large fleet of airplanes and flight crews out of position in dozens of locations, and after days of trying to operate as much of our full schedule across the busy holiday weekend, we reached a decision point to significantly reduce our flying to catch up,' added Jordan. The largest fine the agency can seek is $35,000, but multiple offenses can result in higher penalties, the FAA said.A person looks for lost luggage near the baggage carousel at Chicago Midway International Airport 23 Delta airlines flight from Honolulu to Seattle. Last week, the agency proposed a civil penalty of $52,500 - its biggest fine ever - against a man who was arrested after trying to open the cockpit door and striking a flight attendant in the face on a Dec. Penalties can includes fines and jail terms for passengers who assault or threaten airline crews or other passengers.Īs airlines continue to see a dramatic increase in unruly and dangerous passenger behavior on commercial flights, federal officials have responded with heftier fines aimed at deterring disruptive conduct. The FAA announced in January a "zero-tolerance" policy toward passengers who "cause disturbances on flights or fail to obey flight crew instructions in violation of the FAA’s regulations or engage in conduct proscribed by federal law." Instead, the agency said, it will launch legal enforcement actions. The altercation began when a man who was wearing a face shield was told he needed to wear a face mask, according to a witness. He said police were asked to meet the plane when it arrived in San Diego, and the passenger was taken into custody.Ī passenger was escorted off an Allegiant flight departing Mesa, Arizona, after getting into a fight with another passenger. “The passenger repeatedly ignored standard inflight instructions and became verbally and physically abusive upon landing,” said the spokesman, Chris Mainz. There were 477 incidents of “misconduct” by passengers on Southwest planes between April 8 and May 15, according to Montgomery.Ī Southwest spokesman said Tuesday that the incident happened Sunday morning after a flight from Sacramento landed in San Diego. “Unfortunately, this is just one of many occurrences,” said Lyn Montgomery, Local 556 President of the Transport Workers Union. Two of the damaged teeth had to be replaced, according to the complaint. The flight attendant needed stitches for a cut under her eye and chipped three teeth. She is scheduled to make her first appearance in court Sept. Quinonez faces one count of assault resulting in bodily injury and another for interfering with flight crew members and attendance, according to the complaint. San Diego Harbor police arrested Quinonez, who is from the Sacramento area, when the plane reached its gate in San Diego. The flight left Sacramento the morning of May 23. Get San Diego local news, weather forecasts, sports and lifestyle stories to your inbox. ![]()
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