Southwest Air

Southwest union VP Captain Michael Santoro told Insider that the company simply did not know where its crews were, forcing avoidable cancelations.

The recent meltdown was avoidable, but it would have cost the company.

A Southwest Airlines investor has accused the carrier of fraud in a new class action lawsuit facing the Dallas-based airline following a disastrous operational meltdown over the Christmas holidays that is already estimated to have cost Southwest $825 million in costs and compensation payouts. The latest lawsuit brought against Southwest following the meltdown was filed…

Southwest isn't the only airline experiencing delays and cancellations, but it is by far the worst-hit, with about 5,500 of its flights canceled across the country in the last two days.

Why did Southwest cancel so many flights, and what's next for affected travelers? The airline-in-crisis hasn't answered all the questions, but claims it has returned to normal operations.