In a recent letter to the carrier’s rewards program members, Southwest Airlines CEO Bob Jordan cited technology deficiencies as the primary cause for the cancellation of over 16,000 flights in December.

With a pledge to enhance crew engagement technology and upgrade crew recovery systems, the CEO of the six largest domestic carrier stated that the airline has budgeted over $1 billion of its annual operating budget on technology systems improvements in the coming year.

Some argue that the investments are coming too late for a brand that has long been held as a standard for customer service and innovation. In a precursor to Jordan’s press release, Southwest Airlines Pilot Association President Casey Murray cited, “an utter lack of meaningful progress” on “information technology asks…that has been ongoing for more than three years.”