Southwest flights are back on schedule after days of chaos

• Southwest had topped FlightAware's charts with thousands of canceled flights earlier this week, when the airline flew about one-third of its schedule.
• It ranked eighth on the list Friday morning.

The big picture: Southwest passengers have been stuck in a travel nightmare since winter storms prompted widespread delays and cancellations leading up to Christmas.

• Operational challenges undermined the airline's ability to resume service, Axios reported.

Yes, but: Southwest said on Thursday it was "eager to return to a state of normalcy" on Friday, hoping for "minimal disruptions" over the New Year's Eve weekend.

• Southwest said that employees were working "around-the-clock" to help customers get back on schedule.

What we're watching: Southwest Airlines CEO Bob Jordan apologized publicly earlier this week for the failures. He said the airline will help customers who suffered as a result.

More from Axios:

• Southwest says flight schedule will "return to normal" on Friday
• Transportation Department to review Southwest's mass flight cancellations
• Major winter storm threatens to upend holiday travel
• Flight delays, cancellations continue as storm rolls on