Southwest Airlines planes are show at San Diego International airport in San Diego, California, U.S., May 18, 2023. The chief operating officer of Southwest Airlines (LUV.N) found himself in the eye of a storm after a blizzard last December forced the company to cancel almost 17,000 flights, disrupting travel plans for about 2 million customers. With this week's U.S. Thanksgiving holiday kicking off the holiday travel season, Watterson can ill afford another fiasco. Airlines have taken measures to beef up winter operations including investments in weather forecast technology and de-icing equipment, and increased staffing and training. To make its winter operations more resilient, Watterson said Southwest invested in de-icing trucks and de-icing pads across its network.

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Persons: Mike Blake, Andrew Watterson, Watterson, Constance von Muehlen, David Seymour, von Muehlen, Rajesh Kumar Singh, Doyinsola Oladipo, David Shepardson, Ben Klayman, Matthew Lewis Organizations: Southwest Airlines, San Diego International, REUTERS, Rights, Reuters, U.S . Transportation Department, Alaska Airlines, University of Washington, United Airlines, American Airlines, Federal Aviation Administration, FAA, U.S, Thomson Locations: San Diego , California, U.S, Dallas, Denver, Chicago, Southwest, Seattle, Alaska, Newark , New Jersey, Congress, New York, Washington