“In lieu of a payment of an $11 million civil penalty to the government, this order provides Southwest with an $11 million credit for significantly improving its on-time performance and completion factor through its $112.4 million investment in its Network Operations Control (NOC),” the DOT said in an updated order this week.

Under a 2023 settlement reached by the Biden administration, Southwest agreed to a $140 million civil penalty, most of which went toward compensation for travelers.