Who Should Kansas City Blame For EPIC Southwest Airlines FAIL!?!

Pinning this disaster on the weather might be too easy. 

Instead . . . 

Politically motivated Internets talkers look to blame their opposition for one of the worst airline debacles in recent memory. 

Mayo Pete and/or corporate deregulation are to blame according to locals with an ax to grind on both sides of the aisle.

Accordingly . . . 

The party in power is attempting to get ahead of the hot mess as the whole ordeal might spark doubts about the upcoming New KCI facility designed by the architects of this current disaster . . . 

Check-it . . .

"Their system really has completely melted down," US Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg told CNN's Wolf Blitzer on Tuesday.

"I made clear that our department will be holding them accountable for their responsibilities to customers, both to get them through this situation and to make sure that this can't happen again."

Passengers booked with beleaguered Southwest Airlines have been hoping for some much-needed relief on cancellations and delays. But those hopes -- so far -- are being dashed.

Out of the more than 2,600 cancellations already made for Wednesday, nearly all of them belong to Southwest.

Read more via www.TonysKansasCity.com links . . .

Southwest Airlines continues canceling flights as New Year holiday approaches | CNN

Air travelers hoping for clear skies on Tuesday following a disastrous week of weather-related flight cancellations and delays in the US will have to extend their patience a few more days -- particularly if they're flying with Southwest Airlines.

Southwest Airlines Fliers Reckon With Lost Luggage Along With Lost Flights

Southwest Airlines Co. on Tuesday said it would limit new bookings on the planes it plans to fly in the coming days, and the airline came under more scrutiny from Washington for its holiday storm meltdown. Southwest canceled 2,595 flights, or 63% of its scheduled Tuesday departures, according to data from FlightAware.

KC-area family out thousands after canceled Southwest flight ruins Christmas trip

OVERLAND PARK, Kan. - One Overland Park family planned their Christmas family vacation almost a year ago, only for it to be completely ruined on Christmas Day. The Hargesheimer family was on board their connecting flight to Cancun for a total of 9 minutes before everyone was ushered off the plane for a mechanical issue.

Transportation Department will be looking into Southwest flight cancellations, Buttigieg says

Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg said his department will be looking into the Southwest Airlines scheduling system after thousands of canceled flights enraged passengers across the U.S.

Southwest Airlines criticized by passengers, Transportation Department as flights delayed nationwide

Thousands of Southwest Airlines flights were delayed or canceled nationwide on Monday, leading to growing criticism of the airline from disgruntled passengers and the federal government. The airline canceled 2,886 flights on Monday, or 70% of scheduled flights, amid a winter storm impacting portions of the country, according to flight tracking website FlightAware.

The blizzard is just one reason behind the operational meltdown at Southwest Airlines

The cliché about a "perfect storm" could hardly be a more apt description of the situation right now for Southwest Airlines - a carrier that has been forced to cancel more than 60% of its flights over the busy Christmas travel season as it struggles to get back on course after a devastating blizzard that socked in much of the United States.

DATA: More nonstop travel coming to KCI Airport's new terminal in 2023

As the opening date for Kansas City International Airport's new terminal approaches, many things will be changing in the air. In particular, the following graphic looks at the year-over-year difference (March 2022 vs. what's currently scheduled for March 2023) in nonstop destinations (by number of flights) and nonstop destinations (by number of seats).

11 airport questions land answers: What to expect from the new KCI terminal

Editor's note: This story was originally published by The Kansas City Beacon, a member of the KC Media Collective, which also includes Startland News, KCUR 89.3, American Public Square, Kansas City PBS/Flatland, and Missouri Business Alert. Click here to read the original story.

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