Sauder Schelkopf is investigating a class action lawsuit against Southwest Airlines for its unacceptably high flight cancellations during late December 2022. It was reported that of the more than 2,860 flights within, into or out of the US that were canceled for Dec 27, 2022, as of 7:30 a.m. ET, 2,513 are operated by Southwest.

We are currently litigating a case against United Airlines on behalf of individuals who purchased tickets they could not use because of the COVID-19 pandemic.  It has been alleged that airlines have changed their policies to make it more difficult to get a refund for travelers impacted by the coronavirus global shutdown.

The United State Department of Transportation issued a statement on Monday’s massive flight cancellations by Southwest Airlines, saying the agency is “concerned.” “USDOT is concerned by Southwest’s unacceptable rate of cancellations and delays and reports of lack of prompt customer service. The Department will examine whether cancellations were controllable and if Southwest is complying with its customer service plan,” the agency tweeted. Speaking to CNN on Tuesday, the vice president of the Southwest Airlines Pilots Association, Captain Mike Santoro, said the problems facing Southwest were the worst disruptions he’d experienced in 16 years at the airline. He described last week’s storm as a catalyst that helped trigger major technical issues. “What went wrong is that our I.T. infrastructure for scheduling software is vastly outdated,” he said. “It can’t handle the number of pilots, flight attendants that we have in the system, with our complex route network. We don’t have the normal hub the other major airlines do. We fly a point-to-point network which can put our crews in the wrong places, without airplanes.” He added: “It is frustrating for the pilots, the flight attendants and especially our passengers. We are tired of apologizing for Southwest, the pilots in the airline, our hearts go out to all of the passengers, they really do.”

Experience Matters

Sauder Schelkopf has a nationally recognized litigation practice. The firm currently serves as court-appointed lead counsel in courts across the country.  The attorneys at Sauder Schelkopf have recovered over $500 million on behalf of their clients and class members. Our firm was recognized by the Legal Intelligencer’s 2022 Professional Excellence Awards. The Legal Intelligencer’s Professional Excellence Awards honor Pennsylvania law firms and attorneys who have made a significant, positive impact on the legal profession. Our firm was named in the Litigation Departments of the Year (Specialty Area category; runner-up), an award that honors the best litigation practice in a small or mid-sized firm in Pennsylvania. This recognition was based on the firm’s 2021 litigation work and its important ongoing cases. LawDragon has recognized our attorneys in its list of the “500 Leading Plaintiff Consumer Lawyers” for 2022.  This list notes: “From the opioid epidemic to toxic substances and defective products, truck accidents to wildfires and sexual abuse, these are the lawyers who stand on the front line in individual lawsuits and class actions seeking justice.” Mr. Schelkopf was named to Pennsylvania’s Best Lawyers® 2022 for Class Actions/Mass Tort Litigation. The American Lawyer named Mr. Sauder to its 2021 Northeast Trailblazers. The honor recognizes 60 lawyers who are “truly agents of change.” It “recognizes professionals in the Northeast who have moved the needle in the legal industry.” The Legal Intelligencer named Mr. Sauder and Mr. Schelkopf in its 2020 Pennsylvania Trailblazers list recognizing 31 lawyers who “have taken extra measures to contribute to positive outcomes . . . and who are truly agents of change.” The Legal highlighted the firm’s innovative work on advocacy as class counsel in large institutional sex abuse cover-ups, women’s, and children’s rights. Our attorneys have also consistently been recognized by their peers being named to Pennsylvania SuperLawyer, a distinction held by the top 5% of attorneys in Pennsylvania.  Our attorneys have also been selected by the National Trial Lawyers Association as the Top 100 Trial Lawyers in Pennsylvania.

We Want to Hear from You

Contact us if your Southwest Airlines flight was canceled in late December 2022.