Beware of Channel ‘Debt’ That Goes Unchecked

The Southwest meltdown yields valuable lessons for tech vendors, channel leaders.

The meltdown that occurred in December 2022 at Southwest Airlines was a calamity for travelers, but also a cautionary tale for business leaders.

Southwest grounded an estimated 300,000 travelers in the days before Christmas 2022 when a powerful storm dumped an unexpectedly large amount of snow and ice on the Northeast United States. As weather conditions deteriorated, Southwest began canceling flights. Over a three-day period, it canceled more than 15,000 flights, stranding passengers from New York to California.