Southwest Cancels Hundreds More Flights — Is Vax Mandate To Blame?

Southwest Airlines canceled hundreds more flights Monday after the airline was forced to ground nearly 2,000 flights over the weekend, blaming the issues on weather and staffing amid speculation that the debacle is tied to the company’s recent COVID-19 vaccine mandate.

The world’s largest low-cost carrier canceled almost 350 flights — or one in ten scheduled departures — as of Monday at 7 a.m. ET, according to data from Flight Aware. That marks the highest cancellation rate of any major US airline by far, according to the site.

More than 300 other Southwest flights were facing delays, the site’s data showed.

The airline’s latest woes come after it had to ground more than 25 percent of its scheduled flights on Sunday. . .

The mass cancelations and delays on the busy Columbus Day weekend come after the airline announced last week that it would require all of its employees to get the COVID-19 vaccine, as called for by President Biden earlier this year. Employees must get vaccinated before Dec. 8 or face termination. The Dallas, Texas-based airline has approximately 56,000 employees. (Read more from “Southwest Cancels Hundreds More Flights — Is Vax Mandate To Blame?” HERE)

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