The U.S. Department of Transportation is waiving part of a fine assessed against Southwest Airlines after the company canceled thousands of flights during a winter storm in 2022.
Under a 2023 settlement reached by the Biden administration, Southwest agreed to a $140 million civil penalty. The government said at the time that the penalty was the largest it had ever imposed on an airline for violating consumer protection laws.
Most of the money went toward compensation for travelers. But Southwest agreed to pay $35 million to the U.S. Treasury. Southwest made a $12 million payment in 2024 and a second $12 million payment earlier this year. But the Transportation Department issued an order Friday waiving the final $11 million payment, which was due Jan. 31, 2026.
The department said Southwest should get credit for significantly improving its on-time performance and investing in network operations.
“DOT believes that this approach is in the public interest as it incentivizes airlines to invest in improving their operations and resiliency, which benefits consumers directly,” the department said in a statement. “This credit structure allows for the benefits of the airline’s investment to be realized by the public, rather than resulting in a government monetary penalty.”
The fine stemmed from a winter storm in December 2022 that paralyzed Southwest's operations in Denver and Chicago and then snowballed when a crew-rescheduling system couldn’t keep up with the chaos. Ultimately the airline canceled 17,000 flights and stranded more than 2 million travelers.
The Biden administration determined that Southwest had violated the law by failing to help customers who were stranded in airports and hotels, leaving many of them to scramble for other flights. Many who called the airline’s overwhelmed customer service center got busy signals or were stuck on hold for hours.
Even before the settlement, the nation’s fourth-biggest airline by revenue said the meltdown cost it more than $1.1 billion in refunds and reimbursements, extra costs and lost ticket sales over several months.
In a statement, Southwest said it was grateful to the Department of Transportation and Secretary Sean Duffy for recognizing the investments it has made to modernize its operations.
“During the last two years, Southwest successfully completed an operational turnaround that directly benefits our customers with industry leading on-time performance and percentage of completed flights without cancellations,” the company said.
FILE - A Southwest Airlines jet pulls into a gate at Dallas Love Field Airport Tuesday, Nov. 11, 2025, in Dallas. (AP Photo/LM Otero, File)
MILAN (AP) — Luciano Spalletti’s return to the team he led to the Serie A title was spoiled by Rasmus Højlund's brace as host Napoli beat Juventus 2-1 on Sunday.
The result also lifted Napoli back to the top of the Italian league. The defending champion moved a point above Inter Milan and three points above AC Milan, which visits Torino on Monday.
It was Juventus coach Spalletti’s first time at Napoli as opposition manager since he led the southern team to its first scudetto in more than 30 years in 2023.
Napoli coach Antonio Conte was also facing his former team. He steered Juventus to three Serie A titles during his time in charge and also played for the Bianconeri for 13 years, winning numerous trophies.
Adding to the occasion, it was the first time the two coaches had faced each other.
Napoli got off to a great start as the in-form David Neres got away down the right before rolling the ball across for Højlund to tap it in with less than seven minutes on the clock.
Napoli had the better of the chances but Juventus leveled in the 59th minute as the Bianconeri went on the counterattack and Kenan Yıldız played a one-two with Weston McKennie before placing an angled drive into the far bottom corner.
McKennie inadvertently also played a role at the other end in what proved to be the winner for Napoli in the 78th.
The United States international tried to head away a cross for Neres but his attempt was rather weak and went to Hojlund to head in from four yards (meters).
Roma lost ground in the title race as it fell to a 1-0 defeat at Cagliari after playing most of the match with 10 men.
Roma remained fourth but slipped four points below Napoli. It was Cagliari’s first win since September and lifted the Sardinian team four points above the drop zone.
The match turned in the 49th minute when Roma defender Zeki Çelik brought down Cagliari midfielder Michael Folorunsho right on the edge of the area.
The referee initially awarded a penalty but realized the foul was just outside the area after reviewing the incident. He revoked the spot kick but showed Çelik a straight red card for denying a clear scoring occasion.
Roma goalkeeper Mile Svilar pulled off a number of impressive saves but Cagliari broke the deadlock in the 82nd minute.
Gianluca Gaetano was left completely unmarked to chest down a corner and fire the ball in off the inside of the far post.
Bologna failed to make the most of Roma's slipup as it was held to a 1-1 draw at Lazio.
Bologna would have moved level with Roma with a win but was left two points below the capital side.
Gustav Isaksen tapped home a rebound in the 38th minute but Danish compatriot Jens Odgaard scored in similar circumstances at the other end just two minutes later.
Lazio defender Mario Gila was sent off in the 79th minute for dissent after receiving a yellow card for a challenge on Santiago Castro.
Earlier, Cremonese beat Lecce 2-0.
AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer
Bologna's head coach Vincenzo Italiano shouts instructions to his players during a Serie A soccer match between Lazio and Bologna at the Rome's Olympic stadium, Italy, Sunday, Dec. 7, 2025. (Alfredo Falcone/LaPresse via AP)
Cagliari's Gianluca Gaetano, left, celebrates with teammate Alessandro Deiola after scoring their side's opening goal during a Serie A soccer match between Cagliari and Roma, in Cagliari, Italy, Sunday, Dec. 7, 2025. (Gianluca Zuddas/LaPresse via AP)
Roma's coach Gian Piero Gasparini smiles ahead of the Serie A soccer match between Cagliari Calcio and Roma, in Cagliari, Italy, Sunday, Dec. 7, 2025. (Gianluca Zuddas/LaPresse via AP)
Cagliari's coach Fabio Pisacane enters the pitch ahead of the Serie A soccer match between Cagliari Calcio and Roma, in Cagliari, Italy, Sunday, Dec. 7, 2025. (Gianluca Zuddas/LaPresse via AP)
Cagliari's Michael Folorunsho, right, falls after an action with Roma's Mehmet Zeki Çelik, during a Serie A soccer match between Cagliari and Roma, in Cagliari, Italy, Sunday, Dec. 7, 2025. (Gianluca Zuddas/LaPresse via AP)
