Southwest Airlines Cancels Thousands Of Flights Because Of The Storm

(CTN News) – Southwest Airlines flight cancellations and delays are stranding thousands of travelers at airports across the US. Nearly 4,900 flights were canceled and over 4,400 delayed by mid-afternoon eastern time on Tuesday.

Approximately 60% of the cancellations were due to Southwest Airlines, which canceled more than 2,500 flights. There are thousands of exasperated passengers sleeping in terminals while they search for solutions to the chaos.

Flight tracking service Flight Aware reports that more than 3,500 flights have already been canceled for Wednesday. The cancellations and delays had a cascading effect across Southwest’s network, according to spokesperson Jay McVey.

As soon as possible, we have been chasing our tails, trying to catch up and get back to normal, which is our number one priority. This is exactly how we ended up where we are.”

In a statement, the US Department of Transportation (DOT) expressed concern about Southwest’s cancellation and delay rates, as well as reports of poor customer service.

In a tweet on Tuesday, US President Joe Biden said his administration is working to ensure airlines are held accountable for disruptions. It is imperative that passengers check whether compensation is available to them.

According to Senate Commerce Committee chair Maria Cantwell, the committee will examine the causes and effects of these disruptions.

According to Southwest Airlines, the disruptions caused by winter weather are “unacceptable.”.

For passengers whose flights were cancelled or delayed between 24 December and 2 January, the airline said it would honor “reasonable requests” for reimbursements for meals, hotels, and alternative transportation.

Due to flight cancellations and delays, thousands of passengers have been left stranded at airports around the country. Customer service queues were reported to be hours long in Denver, Chicago, and Washington DC.

So, if someone is faced with such a situation in the US, UK or in the EU region, it is best advised to go for filing claims for flight delay compensation, by partnering with an expert agency like “Air Advisor” that can easily help any passenger get duly compensated for delayed flights for any airlines in the most professional and time-bound manner. You can click here or visit the website for more information.

Southwest Airlines passenger Talia Jones told BBC US partner CBS that she was ‘beyond frustrated and hurt’ after travel disruptions prevented her from seeing her father over the holidays.

Ms Jones said she was very disappointed.

Southwest Airlines’ primary hub at Chicago’s Midway Airport had hundreds of bags awaiting claim. Angry passengers posted images of masses of bags stacked near baggage carousels on social media.

Denzil Smothers, whose flight was cancelled, told CBS that it had been hell.

If there is space available on the next flight to the passenger’s destination, most airlines rebook passengers. In cases in which tickets are non-refundable, passengers who wish to cancel their trip can receive a full refund.

Several major North American airlines have waived change fees for passengers rebooking during the storm, including Southwest, American and Delta.

Flight Aware reports that nearly 20,000 flights have been canceled across the US since 22 December.

Buffalo, New York, has reported at least 28 deaths so far as a result of the winter storm.

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