Southwest Airlines chief operating officer Andrew Watterson is slated to testify at a U.S. Senate Committee hearing next week amid calls for the carrier to answer for December’s holiday meltdown when it canceled 16,700 flights.
The Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee will hold the hearing Feb. 9, on “strengthening airline operations and consumer protections.” It will hear from Watterson, Southwest Airlines Pilots Association President Casey Murray and airline industry and consumer protection experts.
“This hearing will review the causes and impacts of recent air travel disruptions as well as consumer impacts to the U.S. flying public,” the committee said in announcing the hearing. “For instance, Southwest Airlines’ operational meltdown in December 2022 left millions of people stranded during the holidays.”
