Southwest Airlines, one of the largest air carriers in the United States, has had a difficult fourth quarter. The airline reported a $220 million loss due to a holiday travel meltdown, and now, according to Yahoo Finance, the airline has lost a total of $800 million due to the same issue.
The holiday travel meltdown was caused by a lack of staff and a surge in holiday travelers. As a result, Southwest had to cancel and delay thousands of flights over the Christmas holiday period. The airline’s CEO, Gary Kelly, recently spoke out about the situation, saying that the airline was “in a hole” following the chaos.
The airline’s woes were compounded by winter weather, which caused further delays and cancellations at airports around the country, including Tulsa International Airport.
The airline is now looking to make up for the losses in the first quarter of 2021. It remains to be seen if the airline will be able to recover and turn a profit in the coming months.