WASHINGTON — The Trump administration said Friday that it would waive an $11 million fine levied against Southwest Airlines over the company’s 2022 holiday travel meltdown, when the airline canceled nearly 17,000 flights around Christmas during a period of severe weather.

The $11 million was part of a $140 million fine that the Biden administration had imposed in 2023, which was the largest penalty the Department of Transportation had applied to an airline for consumer protection violations. The agency had determined that Southwest broke federal law by failing to provide prompt customer service, flight notifications and refunds to about 2 million passengers during the 2022 holiday season.

After waiting on hold for hours to speak with customer service representatives, many passengers were

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