Morrisville, North Carolina (WNCN) — Over 5,400 Southwest Airlines flights canceled within 48 hours.
Thousands of travelers are stuck at airports and unfamiliar cities trying to reach their next destination.
This is the third day the airline has operated only a fraction of its scheduled flights.
At Raleigh-Durham International Airport on Wednesday, the Southwest Terminal was fairly empty, except for people coming in person to rebook canceled flights. Some people have come to pick up packages for loved ones who can’t go out yet.
“I feel sorry for all these people. There will probably be Christmas presents and personal items here,” said Amanda Doughtry. “[My brother] His meds and his CPAP machine are gone. “
She drove from Broadway, North Carolina to pick up a package for her brother and nephew.
The first flight out of Phoenix was canceled two days ago.
“He finally found an American Airlines flight. [It was] Almost $1,000,” said Doutree.
The plane landed in Charlotte and my brother found a connection to Greensboro.
“Now I have to drive all over North Carolina,” Doughtry said.
Mario Santa Caterina’s parents just decided to drive from Chicago to Raleigh, and their flight to the Southwest has been canceled three times.
“Hopefully I’ve come to pick up my parents’ packages,” he said. “They’ve been trying to get him here for three days.
Southwest CEO Bob Jordan released a video statement, explaining that the weather played a big role in the disruption, and the company is working to fix the problem in the future.
“The tools we use to recover from chaos will help us 99{ea2cba5bdf6fe62bbe85e24807814144a71e77d3ae7311fbc27a008558d1372c} of the time. But clearly we need to strengthen our existing plans to upgrade our systems for these extreme situations ‘ he said.
The Southwest Airlines Pilots Association issued a statement, in part of which said:
“All frontline employees, including pilots, have grown weary of Southwest Airlines management apologizing to passengers for the systematic failure to modernize its operations, support and staff in 10 years. Over the years, our lack of leadership in adapting, innovating and protecting our operations has resulted in repeated disruptions to the system, disappointment for countless passengers and loss of millions of profits. has been attributed to weather forecast five days in advance, but the problem began many years ago when network complexity exceeded its ability to withstand meteorological and technological disruptions. SWAPA subject matter experts have repeatedly presented years of data and countless suggestions to make the Southwest pilot more efficient and resilient.”
But Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg said that wasn’t enough.
“They need to take care of passengers with hotels, meals, ground transportation and whatever compensation they need, in addition to prompt cash refunds to passengers whose flights are canceled,” he said. rice field.
On Wednesday, a Southwest Airlines official said it would honor “reasonable requests for refunds for meals, hotels, and alternative transportation.”
All passengers are entitled to a full refund for canceled flights, including baggage charges and seat selection charges.
The US Department of Transportation continues to investigate mass delays and cancellations.
