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“Chaos” – Southwest Airlines cancellations leave hundreds stranded
Hundreds of passengers have been left stranded in airport terminals following Southwest Airlines cancelling hundreds of flights
Southwest Airlines canceled more than 350 flights on Monday following after an intense weekend of major disruptions.
Southwest blamed the mass cancellations on bad weather and air traffic control issues, but the pilots union accused the company of a botched response to what it said would have been a minor challenge for other airlines.
The third straight day of canceled and delayed flights left passengers stranded and steaming from California to the East Coast.
Monday’s cancellations amounted to 10% of Southwest’s schedule, and at least 1,400 other flights, or roughly 40%, were delayed, according to the FlightAware tracking service.
The widespread disruptions began shortly after the Southwest Airlines Pilots Association, representing 9,000 pilots, asked a federal court to block the airline’s order that all employees get vaccinated.
The union argued that Southwest has to negotiate the issue because it could involve sick leave or disability should the company’s pilots have a reaction to the vaccine.
“We are not anti-vaccination at all, but our pilots are extremely worried about how their medicals are going to be handled”
union president Casey Murray
It’s now understood Southwest has been sued by the pilots union.