DOT Dismisses Southwest ‘Delay’ Lawsuit

The U.S. Department of Transportation on May 16 filed a
one-sentence “notice of voluntary dismissal” for the agency’s January
lawsuit against Southwest Airlines for “chronically delayed
flights.” 

The suit had been filed in the Northern District of
California and cited two routes with chronic delays between April and August
2022. 

“We appreciate the DOT’s decision to abandon its
lawsuit against Southwest, which we believe is the correct result in this
case,” Southwest said in a statement. “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.”

RELATED: DOT
Sues Southwest for ‘Chronically Delayed Flights’