南西's strong 2022 回復する soured by holiday debacle
DALLAS (AP) - 南西 航空機によるs is 心配するing a money-losing fourth ４半期/4分の1 after a winter 嵐／襲撃する and 科学（工学）技術 炉心溶融 led to nearly 17,000 取り消すd flights and 立ち往生させるd hundreds of thousands of holiday 旅行者s.
The 取り消しs will result in a 税込みの 攻撃する，衝突する of $725 million to $825 million from lost 歳入, 加える extra costs, 含むing reimbursements for 旅行者s and 賞与金 支払う／賃金 for 従業員s, 南西 said Friday in a regulatory とじ込み／提出するing.
The 嵐／襲撃する and slow 回復 was a 破滅的な turn financially and reputationally for the Dallas-based 運送／保菌者, which led all U.S. 航空機によるs in 利益（をあげる） during the first nine months of 2022, a year of 回復 for the pandemic-乱打するd 航空機による 産業.
The 大規模な disruptions started with a winter 嵐／襲撃する that 攻撃する，衝突する much of the country before Christmas. They snowballed when 南西´s outdated 乗組員-scheduling 科学（工学）技術 was 圧倒するd, leaving 乗組員s and 計画（する）s out of position to operate flights. 経営者／支配人s and a cadre of volunteer 従業員s at company （警察，軍隊などの）本部 were 軍隊d to manually 再任命する 操縦するs and flight attendants to flights.
It took 南西 eight days to 回復する just before the New Year's Day 週末, while other major 航空機によるs were up and running quickly after the 嵐／襲撃する passed.
南西 said in the とじ込み／提出するing with the U.S. 安全s and 交流 Com 使節団 that it 取り消すd more than 16,700 flights between Dec. 21 and Dec. 31, 原因（となる）ing a loss of $400 million to $425 million in 歳入. In 早期に December, before the 炉心溶融, 南西 事業／計画（する）d fourth-４半期/4分の1 歳入 would rise by up to 17% over the same period in 2019, before the pandemic.
FILE - A woman walks through unclaimed 捕らえる、獲得するs at 南西 航空機によるs baggage （人命などを）奪う，主張する at Salt Lake City International Airport Thursday, Dec. 29, 2022, in Salt Lake City. With its flights now running on a 概略で normal schedule, 南西 航空機によるs is turning its attention to 誘惑するing 支援する 顧客s and 修理ing 損失 to a 評判 for service after 取り消すing 15,000 flights around Christmas. The disruptions started with a winter 嵐／襲撃する and snowballed when 南西's 古代の 乗組員-scheduling 科学（工学）技術 failed. (AP Photo/Rick Bowmer, とじ込み／提出する)
The 航空機による said that expenses 増加するd 予定 to reimbursements to 顧客s for out-of-pocket costs - the company has 約束d to cover "reasonable" 法案s for hotel rooms, meals and 補欠／交替の／交替する transportation - along with the 概算の value of たびたび（訪れる）-flyer points it 申し込む／申し出d to 顧客s, and 賞与金 支払う／賃金 and 付加 補償（金） for 従業員s.
分析家s 一般に said 南西's 見積（る） was toward the high end of their 期待s but not shocking. 南西's 株 伸び（る）d 4.6%, and other U.S. 航空機によるs rose too, on a strong day for the 株式市場.
Since it 再開するd a normal schedule on Dec. 30, 南西's 取り消しs and flight 延期するs have dropped はっきりと, 概略で in line with other major U.S. 航空機によるs. The company is working on 修理ing its 損失d 評判.
"I don't know how many times I have, and can, わびる to our 顧客s, but it's not enough because we messed up," CEO Robert J ordan said in an interview Thursday. "But the 嵐／襲撃する was historic in the number of places it 攻撃する，衝突する, the length of time it stayed, the 気温s."
Jordan said the 航空機による has 過程d 75% of refund requests, is shipping lost 捕らえる、獲得するs to 顧客s at no cost, and has 雇うd an outside company to vet reimbursement requests.
Plenty of 顧客s are complaining about the pace of reimbursements, which 南西 収容する／認めるs could take several weeks.
Bryce Burger said three of his family´s six 捕らえる、獲得するs were finally returned Friday, and they got refunds, $1,500 in 保証人／証拠物件s for 未来 flights, and 25,000 たびたび（訪れる）-flyer points apiece. He is still waiting to hear if 南西 will cover the $7,500 cost of a 巡航する that they 行方不明になるd.
Burger, who owns a dental-implant company in Denver, said he will still 飛行機で行く on 南西 because he has a pass that lets a companion 飛行機で行く 解放する／自由な, "but they will not be my first choice, no."
Jordan said 南西 spends about $1 billion a year on 科学（工学）技術 and is reviewing how systems 成し遂げるd before making 決定／判定勝ち（する）s on IT spending 優先s.
Company 公式の／役人s have 論争d union leaders´ （人命などを）奪う，主張するs that the company hasn´t 投資するd enough to update 科学（工学）技術, although they 譲歩する that the 乗組員-scheduling systems did not get as much attention as other IT spending 含むing 航空機-維持／整備 操作／手術s.
"One could 非難する us for prioritizing ground 操作／手術s and technical 操作／手術s over 乗組員 操作／手術s when we started, but at the time that seemed like a proper sequence. 明白に it bit us in retrospect," 長，指導者 Operating Officer Andrew Watterson said last week, "but there was 重要な 近代化 work going on."
南西 has not 示すd whether the 災害 will 原因（となる） it to 増加する spending on 科学（工学）技術, although 分析家s said that was likely. JP Morgan Chase 分析家 Jamie パン職人 said a "modest" 増加する seemed reasonable.
"We have no 専門的知識 in 乗組員 scheduling ソフトウェア, but if an 航空機による can´t feasibly operate red-注目する，もくろむs (夜通し flights) or tell you if your 捕らえる、獲得する has been 負担d, our base 仮定／引き受けること is that systems aren´t 明言する／公表する of the art," パン職人 wrote in a 公式文書，認める to （弁護士の）依頼人s. He said the level of 南西's 科学（工学）技術 was not surprising, given that it is a low-cost 航空機による that likes to keep things simple.
南西 is now on Washington's レーダ 審査する. Transportation 長官 Pete Buttigieg has 公約するd to 持つ／拘留する the 航空機による accountable, although he has been vague on 明確な／細部 活動／戦闘s he might take. A 上院 委員会 has 約束d 審理，公聴会s, and more than two dozen House 民主党員s wrote a letter to Buttigieg on Thursday 勧めるing him to 強化する 消費者 保護 for 航空機による 旅行者s "and help 妨げる these types of 集まり 取り消しs from occurring in the 未来."
Just last month, 南西 発表するd that it would 生き返らせる （株主への）配当s for 株主s, which were 一時停止するd after the pandemic 荒廃させるd the 航空機による 産業 in 早期に 2020. The 航空機による 見積（る）s it could 支払う／賃金 out $428 million in （株主への）配当s per year.
U.S. 航空機によるs were 閉めだした from 支払う／賃金ing （株主への）配当s or buying 支援する their own 在庫／株 until October as a 条件 of taking $54 billion in 連邦の pandemic 援助（する）. 南西 received more than $7 billion in 援助（する）.
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Chapman 報告（する）／憶測d from New York. Thalia Beaty in New York 与える／捧げるd to this 報告（する）／憶測.
FILE - A 南西 航空機によるs jet arrives at Sky Harbor International Airport, Dec. 28, 2022, in 不死鳥／絶品. With its flights now running on a 概略で normal schedule, 南西 航空機によるs is turning its attention to 誘惑するing 支援する 顧客s and 修理ing 損失 to a 評判 for service after 取り消すing 15,000 flights around Christmas. The disruptions started with a winter 嵐／襲撃する and snowballed when 南西's 古代の 乗組員-scheduling 科学（工学）技術 failed. (AP Photo/Matt York, とじ込み／提出する)
