Mineta San Jose International on Wednesday is among the top airports in the country to be impacted by one of the worst air travel meltdowns in recent memory.
The airport saw 147 Southwest flights canceled on Wednesday, or 74% of air traffic scheduled through the airline, according to Flight Aware.
San Jose’s airline woes ranked number four in the country. Only airports in Long Beach, Sacramento, and Buffalo, New York, which was blanketed in over four feet of snow, top San Jose’s cancelation rate for departing flights.
Oakland International also saw 124 flights axed through Southwest on Wednesday. San Francisco International Airport saw a staggering 79% of Southwest canceled, but the airport is not a major hub for the Dallas-based airline.
While a massive Christmas-weekend storm devastated air travel across the country, Southwest’s woes have snowballed into a staggering collapse that has now triggered a federal probe of the “disproportionate and unacceptable” cancellations.
“This has clearly crossed the line from what’s an uncontrollable weather situation to something that is the airline’s direct responsibility,” U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg said on NBC on Tuesday.
The travel disruptions are expected to continue throughout the week. Southwest said Monday it will be flying roughly one-third of its scheduled flights “for the next several days.”
“We’re focused on safely getting all of the pieces back into position to end this rolling struggle,” Southwest CEO Bob Jordan said in a video statement on Tuesday. He vowed to “lean in and go above and beyond” for customers.
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