"We’re working with safety at the forefront to urgently address wide-scale disruption by rebalancing the airline and repositioning crews and our fleet ultimately to best serve all who plan to travel with us. "Our heartfelt apologies for this are just beginning," the airline said in a release. Shortly after that statement to NBC 5, the airline issued a public apology, saying it recognized it had fallen short. Sign up for the weekly Chicago Catch-Up newsletter here. And Southwest has not been the only airline to falter under the demand.Feeling out of the loop? We'll catch you up on the Chicago news you need to know. Staffing shortages have plagued airlines as they try to accommodate Americans' return to air travel. Airlines have been hit with renewed demandĪirlines have been struggling to bounce back after losing tens of billions of dollars during the pandemic's worst months. Despite her being grounded, her luggage was sent to Denver without her, she wrote on Twitter. "I'm never going to do this with that company again."Ī Southwest passenger who says she was attempting to fly from Missouri to Denver said she missed spending Christmas with her family after several delays and cancellations to flights out of the Kansas City International Airport. "I'm okay with these travel situations and fly on by myself when it's just me, but when my one-year-old has to suffer through it because of ineptitude and mismanagement, that becomes personal," Southwest passenger Joshua Caudle, who said he was unsure when they would be able to leave Denver, said on Denver7 News. At Southwest, the customer service phone line's hold times averaged more than two hours, sometimes reaching four hours, according to Colorado Public Radio.ġ2/25 #SouthwestAirlines #Southwest #southweststolechristmas #Houston /iO6ummEi6P- JT December 26, 2022 To have extensive cancellations continue on Monday, Potter said, "is a clear, clear sign something has gone horribly wrong."įrom Houston, Texas, and Tampa, Fla., to Cleveland, Ohio, and Denver, Colo., passengers are sharing photos and video of overwhelmed baggage claim areas and long lines at reservation counters. Holiday travelers see their plans upendedįor Southwest, the situation started unraveling before the Christmas weekend. "The Department will examine whether cancellations were controllable and if Southwest is complying with its customer service plan," USDOT said in a statement. Department of Transportation called the cancellations, delays and customer service response "unacceptable." The airline said in a statement Monday that it will fly about one-third of its schedule for the next several days as it continues to recover its operations. "We've seen this again and again over the course of the last year or so, when airlines really just struggle especially after a storm, but there's pretty clear skies across the country." "This is really as bad as it gets for an airline," Potter said. Kyle Potter, executive editor of Thrifty Traveler, called it an incredibly complex task for an airline with a network as vast as Southwest's to coordinate staffing and scheduling, particularly after weather delays.īut with many areas seeing clear skies on Monday, the airline would seem to have few obvious reasons to cancel so many flights. That issue has made it difficult for employees to access crew scheduling services and get reassignments. Other issues that have exacerbated the airline's struggle to accommodate the holiday rush include problems with "connecting flight crews to their schedules," Perry said. Southwest spokesperson Chris Perry told NPR the airline's disruptions are a result of the winter storm's lingering effects, adding that it hopes to "stabilize and improve its operation" with more favorable weather conditions. On Tuesday night, Southwest Airlines CEO Bob Jordan issued a video, pleading with frustrated travelers and frustrated Southwest employees, for patience. #southwest #southwestair /8bcdwgW9zd- Brandon Richard December 26, 2022 Luggage piled up in the baggage claim area tonight at Denver International Airport (DIA).
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