United, American to Cap Prices to Aid Southwest Passengers

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The Spin

Narrative A

With thousands of passengers left in the lurch by Southwest’s mess, it’s encouraging that other airlines have stepped up their effort to rectify this situation. Every airline should do what it can while Southwest continues to create chaos even several days after the crippling Christmas storm.

Narrative B

It’s great that other airlines are helping Southwest passengers, but Southwest can’t be fully blamed for what’s gone on since the weekend. In a stroke of bad luck, two of its biggest hubs — Chicago Midway and Denver International Airport — were hardest hit by the storm, and staffing has been challenged by the so-called “tripledemic” (COVID, flu, and RSV). Combine that with the holiday rush, and Southwest faced an unprecedented challenge to its service.


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