New Delhi, Dec. 7 -- Department of Transportation credits airline's $112.4 million technology investment while critics question accountability for operational meltdown that stranded over 2 million passengers.

WASHINGTON - In a move that has aviation watchdogs and stranded passengers seething, the Trump administration's Department of Transportation has wiped away the final $11 million installment of Southwest Airlines' record $140 million penalty, a punishment originally levied by the Biden administration for the airline's catastrophic 2022 holiday meltdown that left over 2 million travelers abandoned at airports nationwide.

The decision, buried in an updated DOT order, credits Southwest with an $11 million "credit" for its $112.4 millio...