Southwest Airways continues canceling flights as New 12 months vacation approaches

(CNN) — Air vacationers in america hoping for clear skies on Tuesday following a disastrous week of weather-related flight cancellations and delays must lengthen their persistence just a few extra days — significantly in the event that they’re flying with Southwest Airways.

Of these canceled flights, virtually 2,600 have been these of Southwest, virtually two-thirds of all Southwest flights for Tuesday. In contrast Alaska Airways had solely 9% of its flights canceled, and United Airways had solely 2%.

Airports most affected by the Tuesday cancellations are Denver Worldwide, adopted by Chicago Halfway Worldwide, Baltimore/Washington Worldwide, Harry Reid Worldwide Airport in Las Vegas, Dallas Love Discipline and Nashville Worldwide.

There have been greater than 4,100 delays as of two:45 p.m. ET Tuesday.

Southwest: Anticipate extra days of cancellations

Southwest warns that this week’s cancellations and delays are anticipated to proceed for a number of extra days, with representatives saying the Dallas-based airline is planning to dial again its flight schedule in an effort to get operations on monitor.

Southwest Airways CEO Bob Jordan advised The Wall Avenue Journal the corporate plans to function simply over a 3rd of its schedule in upcoming days to offer itself the power for crews to get into the appropriate positions.

In accordance with WSJ.com, Jordan added that diminished schedule could possibly be prolonged.

“We had a tricky day in the present day. In all chance we’ll have one other robust day tomorrow as we work our means out of this,” Jordan stated in an interview Monday night with WSJ.com.

“That is the most important scale occasion that I’ve ever seen.”

Multiplying issues

Southwest was hit significantly laborious due to a cascade of points.

The storm slammed two of its greatest hubs — Chicago and Denver — at a time when Covid and different winter illnesses have been stretching workers rosters. Southwest’s aggressive schedule and underinvestment have additionally been blamed.

The winter storm that swept throughout the nation was ill-timed for vacationers who had began pushing Christmas week flying numbers again towards pre-pandemic ranges.

On Christmas Day, 3,178 flights have been canceled and 6,870 have been delayed, in keeping with FlightAware.

On Christmas Eve, there have been a complete of three,487 flights canceled, in keeping with FlightAware.

Friday was the worst day of this streak with 5,934 cancellations, whereas Thursday noticed virtually 2,700 cancellations.

What can stranded passengers do?

On the Southwest ticket counter at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta Worldwide Airport on Tuesday morning, lengthy strains have been already increase as vacationers waited to attempt to rebook flights or make connections.

And at Chicago’s Halfway Worldwide, big buildups of unclaimed luggage piled up as passengers struggled to reclaim their baggage. There have been related scenes at different airports together with Harry Reid in Las Vegas and William P. Interest Airport in Houston.

Passenger Trisha Jones advised CNN on the airport in Atlanta that she and her associate had been touring for 5 days, attempting to get residence to Wichita, Kansas, after disembarking from a cruise at Fort Lauderdale, Florida.

After her flight out was canceled, she stayed with family then rerouted to Atlanta to select up a connecting flight.

“We have been lucky, as a result of we have been in Fort Lauderdale — my household lives within the Tampa bay space so we have been in a position to hire a automobile to go see my household for Christmas,” Jones stated. “We have seen a whole lot of households who’re sleeping on the ground, and it simply breaks my coronary heart.”

Calls made Monday afternoon by CNN to Southwest’s customer support didn’t undergo, so prospects could not even get within the queue to talk to a consultant. Southwest advised CNN it’s “absolutely staffed to reply calls.”

Vacationers wait at a Southwest Airways baggage counter to retrieve their luggage after canceled flights at Los Angeles Worldwide Airport, Monday, December 26, 2022, in Los Angeles.

Eugene Garcia/AP

The airline additionally says, “these whose flights have been canceled could request a full refund or obtain a flight credit score, which doesn’t expire.”

“The primary hotline for US airways shall be clogged with different passengers getting rebooked. To get by to an agent shortly, name any one of many airline’s dozens of worldwide workplaces,” Scott Keyes stated.

“Brokers can deal with your reservation similar to US-based ones can, however there’s just about no wait to get by.”

Southwest spokesperson: ‘Maintain your self…maintain your receipts’

A spokesperson for Southwest Airways stated the latest winter storm is responsible for the cascade of hundreds of flight cancellations Monday and superior cancellations Tuesday.

“Because the storm continued to brush throughout the nation it continued to affect lots of our bigger stations and so the cancellations simply compiled one after one other to 100 to 150 to 1,000,” Jay McVay stated in a press convention at Houston’s William P. Interest Airport on Monday night time.

“With these cancellations and in consequence, we find yourself with flight crews and airplanes which are misplaced and never within the cities that they must be in to proceed to run our operations.”

McVay stated that the corporate’s first precedence proper now’s security. “We wish to be sure that we function these flights safely and that we’ve got the flight crews which have authorized and enough time to function these flights,” he said.

“We are going to do every thing that we have to do to proper the challenges that we have had proper now,” he stated, together with “resorts, journey help, vans … rental automobiles to attempt and ensure these people get residence as shortly as attainable.”

He promised that each one prospects, even those that had already left the airport or made alternate preparations on their very own, would even be taken care of.

“In case you’ve already left, handle your self, do what it’s essential do for your loved ones, maintain your receipts,” McVay relayed. “We are going to be sure they’re taken care of, that’s not a query.”

An announcement made within the terminal previous to the information convention apologized to prospects, and stated the subsequent obtainable SWA seats are on Saturday, December 31 and later. The agent stated Southwest could be offering buses to space resorts and warranted that “we can have enough rooms for all prospects who’re affected by this disruption.”

US authorities ‘involved’ by cancellations

The US Division of Transportation issued an announcement on Monday’s huge flight cancellations by Southwest Airways, saying the company is “involved.”

“USDOT is anxious by Southwest’s unacceptable charge of cancellations and delays and reviews of lack of immediate customer support. The Division will study whether or not cancellations have been controllable and if Southwest is complying with its customer support plan,” the company tweeted.

He described final week’s storm as a catalyst that helped set off main technical points.

“What went improper is that our IT infrastructure for scheduling software program is vastly outdated,” he stated. “It may possibly’t deal with the variety of pilots, flight attendants that we’ve got within the system, with our advanced route community. 

“We do not have the conventional hub the opposite main airways do. We fly a point-to-point community which may put our crews within the improper locations, with out airplanes.”

He added: “It’s irritating for the pilots, the flight attendants and particularly our passengers. We’re bored with apologizing for Southwest, the pilots within the airline, our hearts exit to all the passengers, they actually do.”

Santoro, who stated his affiliation had been urgent the airline for a while to unravel its structural issues, complained that pilots had additionally been affected by the present disruption.

“We have now, over 10,000 pilots, not all flying on the similar time, however think about everyone seems to be within the improper metropolis, with out lodge assignments, and looking for resorts?”

In different developments

CNN’s Andi Babineau, Adrienne Broaddus, Dave Alsap, Nick Valencia, David Goldman, Leslie Perrot, Carlos Suarez and Ross Levitt contributed to this story.