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The Trump administration dropped a lawsuit in opposition to Southwest Airways over its allegedly persistent flight delays.
In March, Reuters reported that President Donald Trump’s Division of Justice (DOJ) was in talks with the airline concerning the lawsuit, which was initiated by the Division of Transportation (DOT) below then-President Joe Biden. Based on the identical report, Southwest Airways had till Might 30 to reply to the lawsuit, however the DOJ moved to drop the case forward of that date.
“We appreciate the DOT’s decision to abandon its lawsuit against Southwest, which we believe is the correct result in this case,” a Southwest spokesperson instructed Fox Enterprise.
A Southwest Airways passenger flight takes off from San Diego Worldwide Airport in San Diego on Feb. 3, 2023. (REUTERS/Mike Blake/File Photograph / Reuters Images)
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The DOT filed the lawsuit in January through the last days of the Biden administration, accusing the airline of “illegally operating multiple chronically delayed flights and disrupting passengers’ travel,” in response to a DOT assertion.
The Southwest spokesperson mentioned that the 2 flights on the core of the Biden administration’s lawsuit occurred through the COVID-19 pandemic, which introduced difficulties.
“The two flights at issue occurred years ago when the industry faced unprecedented challenges from the COVID-19 pandemic and were delayed due to issues outside of Southwest’s control in numerous cases. Since the pandemic, we have made significant investments in our operation, which in 2024 provided our customers with best-in-class operational reliability,” the Southwest spokesperson instructed FOX Enterprise.
Vacationers examine in for a Southwest Airways flight at Orlando Worldwide Airport because the July 4th vacation weekend begins. (Paul Hennessy/SOPA Photographs/LightRocket through Getty Photographs / Getty Photographs)
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The 2 flights the lawsuit targeted on have been one between Chicago Halfway Worldwide Airport and Oakland, California, and one other between Baltimore and Cleveland. Based on an announcement from the Biden DOT, 180 passengers have been impacted by the disruptions between April and August 2022.
“Each flight was chronically delayed for five straight months,” the Biden DOT wrote. It additionally included a grievance that the airline was participating in “unfair, deceptive and anticompetitive” practices by means of its alleged use of inaccurate departure and arrival instances.
Vacationers use a Southwest Airways self-check-in kiosk at Logan Worldwide Airport in Boston on Friday, July 19, 2019. ( Scott Eisen/Bloomberg through Getty Photographs / Getty Photographs)
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Then-Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg emphasised in an announcement the necessity for airways to make sure they supply vacationers with correct departure and arrival instances.
The Transportation Division now says that the lawsuit “should have never been brought forward. Southwest has remedied the underlying issues and USDOT will work with them fairly, not sue them for political gain,” in response to an announcement to FOX Enterprise from a DOT spokesperson.
The Justice Division didn’t reply to a Fox Enterprise request for remark.
