The federal government has dropped its lawsuit against Dallas-based Southwest Airlines, closing a case that accused the carrier of misleading passengers with chronically delayed flights.
The suit, originally filed in January, alleged Southwest continued advertising flights with unrealistic schedules even after knowing those flights were routinely late. The Department of Transportation claimed such practices violated federal consumer protection rules, calling them unfair and deceptive.
Among the flights cited were routes between Chicago and Oakland and between Baltimore and Cleveland. Government investigators found these flights arrived more than 30 minutes late more than half the time for at least four consecutive months in 2022, yet Southwest continued to market them without schedule changes.
The lawsuit sought civil penalties and a court order preventing the airline from continuing those practices. But late last week, the Department of Justice filed a one-page notice of voluntary dismissal, effectively ending the case without explanation.
KERA reached out to the DOJ, the DOT and Southwest and will update this story with any response.
The dismissal comes amid broader scrutiny of airline accountability, especially in the wake of Southwest's holiday travel meltdown in 2022, which left thousands of passengers stranded.
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