The U.S. Department of Transportation is investigating the Southwest Airlines holiday travel debacle, which left thousands of travelers stranded for days. The investigation comes as the airline reported a $220 million loss last quarter and further losses in the first quarter.
Southwest canceled more than 16,700 flights over several days in late December. While a massive winter storm caused the initial cancellations, the company's outdated software systems turned what should have been a normal problem into a snowballing disaster that lasted for days after other airlines had resumed their usual operations.
