Southwest Airlines vows to invest more in software improvements to avoid another meltdown, after its CEO admitted that they “messed up” and would cut executive bonuses.
The COO of Southwest, Andrew Watterson, apologized before a U.S. Senate committee panel on Feb. 9 for the airline’s meltdown over the Christmas holidays that stranded thousands of passengers across the United States.
More than 16,700 flights from Dec. 21 through Dec. 31 were cancelled, as the airline dealt with a major winter storm that overwhelmed its computer systems, long after rivals had resumed normal operations.
Southwest admitted that its outdated technology failed to keep pace with the numerous flight changes due to the storm, forcing the airline to suspend most of its flights for several days to reset its systems….