LAS VEGAS (KTNV) — Tuesday is shaping up to be another rough day for air travelers as they deal with canceled flights.
At Harry Reid International Airport, nearly 400 flights have been canceled in the past 24 hours. That's according to flight tracker FlightAware.
FlightAware says Southwest Airlines canceled about 60% of Monday's scheduled flights before the day even started.
The winter weather wasn't the only thing impacting Southwest flights, though. The federal government ordered an investigation of the airline's sweeping cancelations on one of the busiest travel days of the year.
FLYERS STRANDED: Federal government to investigate Southwest cancellations that stranded flyers
About 4,000 domestic U.S. flights were canceled Monday, according to FlightAware, and 2,900 of those were Southwest's. Nearly 2,500 more flights had already been canceled as of 5 a.m. Tuesday, and problems are likely to continue at least into Wednesday.
Southwest spokesman Jay McVay said at a press conference in Houston that cancellations snowballed as storm systems moved across the country, leaving flight crews and planes out of place.
“So we’ve been chasing our tails, trying to catch up and get back to normal safely, which is our number one priority as quickly as we could,” he said. "And that’s exactly how we ended up where we are today.”
The winter weather will continue to impact flights as more snow is expected in the east on Tuesday. The National Weather Service has already issued several winter storm warnings.
TUESDAY'S FORECAST: 13 First Alert Weather Forecast | Tuesday morning, Dec. 27, 2022
