Conditions were mostly nice this year for travelers flying ahead of and on Christmas, but some naughty disruptions again plagued those flying with Southwest Airlines.
For millions of people traveling over the holiday, this year was much better than last. Christmas morning put a bow on a relatively smooth weekend.
Only 157 flights within, into or out of the U.S. had been canceled and 2,111 were delayed as of late afternoon on Monday, according to the tracking website FlightAware.
In anticipation of the holiday season, U.S. airlines took proactive measures to handle the anticipated surge in travelers. They hired thousands of additional staff, including pilots, flight attendants, and other personnel. This strategic move aimed to mitigate the delays and cancellations that negatively impacted travel throughout 2022, reaching a critical point with the Southwest Airlines incident that left over 2 million people stranded. Conditions were mostly nice
The increased workforce was part of a concerted effort by the airlines to enhance operational efficiency and provide a smoother travel experience for passengers during the festive period.
Despite efforts to address operational challenges, Southwest Airlines encountered further disruptions over the weekend. While the situation was expected to improve by Monday, 2% of the airline’s flights were canceled, and 16% were delayed, totaling 693 flights, according to FlightAware.
FlightAware data from Saturday and Sunday indicated that Southwest canceled 426 flights and experienced delays with 2,689 flights. A spokesperson for Southwest attributed these issues to dense fog in Chicago on the mentioned days, which hindered plane landings. The spokesperson also mentioned the possibility of additional cancellations on Monday, with a full recovery anticipated by Tuesday.