I had read similar already and personally have had major issues with them, It didn't just "turn into a vulnerabiltiy". They were a mismanaged company lying about lots of things and our government gave them $7 billion of our dollars with no strings attached and they didn't fix a damn thing. They blatantly violate rules and make promises(in order to compete), like luggage insurance, that they don't really intend to keep. Once bad things happen to you with them, they make it so difficult to claim that you give up after months of trying.They have long adverstised what they don't intend to deliever

"They've had IT-related issues in terms of tracking their crews and scheduling," said Feinstein, formerly of American Airlines. "Issues with what they use to monitor aircraft locations, crew, flight attendants, all of the above."

Casey Murray, the president of the Southwest Airlines Pilots Association, said in a statement on Tuesday that the technology used internally to oversee staffing and scheduling has faced difficulties stretching back at least a decade.

"We all know that the company has had its head buried in the sand when it comes to its operational processes and IT," Murray said. "We aren't undermanned. We're undermanaged."

Southwest Airlines CEO Bob Jordan affirmed such concerns in a message to employees, according to a memo obtained by CNN.

"Part of what we're suffering is a lack of tools," Jordan said. "We've talked an awful lot about modernizing the operation, and the need to do that."

The mismanagement has forced ground workers to complete 16- or 18- hour workdays over this holiday season, exposing them to bitter cold, sickness and even frostbite, Randy Barnes, president of TWU Local 555, which represents ground workers at Southwest Airlines, said in a statement.

"When you're dealing with sub-zero temperatures, driving winds and ice storms you can't expect to schedule planes as if every day is a sunny day with moderate temperatures and a gentle breeze," Barnes said. "The airline needs to do more to protect its ground crews."

The lack of adequate staffing has extended to the company's call centers, where customers face long wait times as they seek an alternative flight or a reimbursement.

In an interview with ABC News, Buttigieg, the Transportation Secretary, lamented the persistence of such challenges at Southwest Airlines, including passengers "unable to get anybody on the phone to help them" and the company's "inability to fully keep track of where their own flight crews are."

Here's our reps complaining NOW but nobody was checking it out when they handed them $7 billion of our money

In an interview with ABC News' Byron Pitts, Secretary of Transportation Pete Butigieg on Tuesday described the wave of flight cancellations at Southwest Airlines as a "shocking and unacceptable level of disruption." Meanwhile Sen. Maria Cantwell, D-Wash., the chair of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation, said the problems at Southwest Airlines "go beyond weather."

MORE>

Southwest unions say they warned company about outdated systems…

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Employee unions say they warned Southwest Airlines Co. management for years that its technological systems badly needed upgrades, ......

Southwest Employees Are Spilling Out Details On Airline's Meltdown On Reddit..

Southwest Owes Passengers Refunds. This Is What They’ve Been Doing Instead

....By refusing to offer Minor a refund, the company was blatantly violating Department of Transportation rules, something additional interviews show they have been doing over and over again this week.

Between Dec. 23 and Dec. 27, Southwest Airlines canceled nearly 10,000 flights, more than 50 percent of its schedule...

The CEO says one thing when he's talking about his employees to the public and another thing when he directly communicates with them. It's all lies, to profit off keeping prices low and promising equal service when in actuality, they do not intend to follow promises or even rules