The U.S. Department of Justice dropped a lawsuit late Friday against Southwest Airlines, filed by the Biden administration in its final days, that accused the carrier of illegally operating chronically delayed flights.
The Department of Transportation filed suit in January, saying Southwest operated unrealistic schedules and seeking maximum civil penalties.
Southwest, which did not immediately comment on Friday, said in January it was disappointed that DOT had chosen to sue “over two flights that occurred more than two years ago.”
Southwest came under intense government scrutiny at the end of 2022 after winter storms in Denver and Chicago crippled the airline’s network and led to more than 16,000 cancellations around the Christmas travel peak.
Southwest settled with the Transportation Department for $140 million for the 2022 holiday meltdown.
- David Shepardson for Reuters
