As This week’s wave of flight cancellations directed by South West Airlines Dragging on, other major carriers have announced they will institute price caps — especially in cities where Southwest operates — to limit the financial burden on stranded travelers trying to reach their destinations.
Among them are American, United and Delta, all of which have said they will limit fares in all markets where Southwest operates until Monday.
But despite the announcements, pricing data shows prices to and from many affected destinations remain sky-high.
Google flight information shows one-way prices from airports such as Nashville International, Ronald Reagan Washington International and Chicago Midway International – all Southwest hubs – which will increase over the next few days.
For example, a one-way ticket departing Friday from Nashville, Tennessee, to Denver International Airport — two hubs heavily impacted by flight cancellations this week — started over $600.
A one-way flight from Washington, DC, to Los Angeles International Airport departing Friday started over $1,000.
Many flyers expressed their frustration on social media.
Suzanne Durham, a Nashville-based music industry professional, had spent Christmas in Boston and was due to return home to Southwest on Monday. After her original flight was canceled, she was able to book another flight on Southwest departing later in the week, but she felt the flight was also going to be canceled.
So she decided to book an additional flight on American Airlines for over $900, she said.
“When I booked this flight I couldn’t believe it was so expensive,” Durham said in a follow-up interview. She said American didn’t specify what class the ticket was in and it was actually business class.
“It wasn’t even first-class,” Durham said. “Those are absolutely price gouging, in my opinion.”
Durham, who expressed his frustrations Monday on Twitter, said an American Airlines representative responded, noting that “fares are on par with some destinations.”
A representative for American Airlines pointed NBC News to a buried tweet in response to a user saying some cities would see price caps. The representative declined to share further details.
Other fliers shared similar stories on Twitter facing much higher tariffs.
Meanwhile, Southwest chief commercial officer Ryan Green has apologized for the travel chaos in a video Wednesday evening, telling passengers they can submit full refund claims for canceled flights and claim travel expenses on the airline’s account website.
“My personal apologies are the first step in making things right after many plans changed and experiences did not meet your expectations,” Green said. “We continue to work to catch up with you.”
A Department of Transportation representative did not immediately respond to a request for comment. In an interview with Nexstar Media on TuesdayTransportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg applauded airlines for instituting price caps.
“No one should take advantage of the situation,” said Buttigieg, who acknowledged the department may have limited legal authority to substantially remedy the situation.
“We really expect airlines to go above and beyond the legal minimum and do the right thing here,” he said. “He shouldn’t be taking coercive action from our department to get people taken care of or reimbursed.”
Tim Stilloh contributed.
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