As Southwest flight cancellations continue, Buttigieg vows to hold airline accountable

(CNN) — Relief is still a few days away for passengers booked with Southwest Airlines this week, as the beleaguered airline continues to grapple with what US Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg has referred to as a complete meltdown of the system.

Out of the 2,770 cancellations already made for Wednesday flights within, into or out of the United States as of 9 a.m. ET, 2,507 of them are operated by Southwest, according to flight tracking website FlightAware.

In all, Southwest has canceled more than 15,700 flights since winter weather began disrupting air travel on December 22. That figure includes more than 2,300 flights already canceled for Thursday. Other US airlines have since recovered from the storm disruptions.

Denver International Airport is leading the way Wednesday in the number of cancellations. At Chicago Midway and Dallas Love Field, close to half of Wednesday flights are canceled.

Southwest plans to fly a reduced schedule over the next few days to reposition crew and planes, airline CEO Bob Jordan said in a video released by the airline late Tuesday. "We're optimistic to be back on track before next week," Jordan said.