As Southwest Airlines continues to sort out its mess, Buttigieg is steamed

As beleaguered Southwest Airlines continues to sort out stranded passengers, uncollected baggage and out-of-position airplanes, US Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg has taken the airline to task.

He's pulling no punches, referring to the situation as a complete "meltdown" of the system.

Meanwhile, the airline's decision to enact "operational emergency" staffing procedures last week at the airport in Denver as a massive winter storm bore down hints at a tangle of factors contributing to the airline's operational crisis.

The emergency staffing procedures in Denver included requiring a note from a doctor to verify illness after an employee calls out sick, a Southwest spokesperson told CNN Wednesday.

The spokesperson could not say whether the staffing policy remains in place or when the special rules ended.