Article:

Southwest Airlines finds itself in the midst of another challenging situation at Denver International Airport (DIA), just one year after a highly publicized holiday season meltdown in 2022. Adding to their troubles, the U.S. Department of Transportation recently imposed a $140 million penalty on the airline for the past debacle.

According to FlightAware, a public flight tracking website, as of noon on Sunday, out of a total of 231 delays and 15 cancellations at DIA, 119 delays and 11 cancellations were attributed to Southwest Airlines flights. The airline has stated that the majority of these disruptions are due to fog that occurred in Chicago on Saturday.

Chris Mainz, a spokesperson for Southwest Airlines, explained to CBS News Colorado, "We had dense fog in Chicago that forced us to discontinue operating last night and into this morning. We are up and running now in Chicago, but the delays you are seeing at DIA are a byproduct of the delays in Chicago."

Flight data from Saturday reveals that there were 62 cancellations and 65 delays at Chicago Midway International Airport, along with 14 cancellations and 199 delays at Chicago O'Hare International.

Last week, Southwest Airlines reached a settlement of $140 million with the federal government regarding the series of mishaps that left numerous passengers stranded during the previous holiday season. U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg stated, "Today's action sets a new precedent and sends a clear message: if airlines fail their passengers, we will use the full extent of our authority to hold them accountable."

Southwest had already agreed to pay over $600 million in refunds and reimbursements to affected customers. With the additional penalty imposed by the U.S. Department of Transportation, the total amount Southwest Airlines will pay for the 2022 holiday meltdown exceeds $750 million.

Despite these challenges, Southwest Airlines reported strong revenue of over $25.4 billion for the fiscal year ending September 30, 2023.

Southwest Airlines now faces the task of addressing the current disruptions at Denver International Airport while striving to prevent a recurrence of the previous holiday season turmoil. Passengers and industry observers will be closely monitoring the airline's efforts to ensure the smoothness of future operations.