DENVER (KDVR) — Southwest Airlines’ cancellations have hit Denver especially hard.
Most of Denver’s canceled flights this week have been Southwest Airlines. The cancellations made Denver International Airport the most-canceled airport in the world and made 2022 the most-canceled year of the last decade except for 2020.
Southwest Airlines is attributing a wave of flight delays and cancellations to the recent national cold snap. The cold and snow compounded with existing labor scheduling problems created an emergency situation. As of Tuesday morning, 63% of the airline’s flights were canceled nationwide, according to FlightAware. Another 8% were delayed.
Southwest’s problems are unique among international airline carriers. None have canceled as many flights as Southwest. At DIA, more than one in 10 cancellations were Southwest Airlines flights.
About 92% of Tuesday’s canceled DIA departures and arrivals were Southwest Airlines, according to flight tracker FlightAware.
The cancellations have affected all areas. The Denver airport has been hit worse than any other airport, however – not only in the U.S. but worldwide.
There have been 337 flights canceled at DIA on Tuesday, as of 2 p.m. This makes Denver the world’s most-canceled airport, followed by Chicago Midway International and Harry Reid International.
According to the U.S. Transportation Security Administration, the Southwest Airlines cancellations have made 2022 Denver’s most-canceled year except 2020.
There have been around 1,000 flights canceled at DIA from Monday to Thursday, according to FlightAware, representing about one-fifth of the number of flights canceled through 2022.
With 4,942 canceled flights this year to date, Denver hasn’t had so many since 2020, when the COVID pandemic froze air travel worldwide.