HEBRON, Ky. — The U.S. Department of Transportation said it will review widespread Southwest Airlines delays and cancellations over the weekend that lasted through this week.
As of Wednesday morning, at least 10 Southwest flights were canceled to and from CVG.
It comes after the airline on Tuesday canceled 62% of its flights across the country and about 70% of departures from CVG.
This creates a mess for travelers across the country.
“They keep saying, ‘Flight crew is on the way,’ but there’s no flight crew on the way,” Austin Metzger said.
After spending seven hours stuck at San Diego International Airport on Christmas Day, several Southwest flight delays eventually turned into a cancellation for Metzger.
“I sat in the airport all Christmas,” Metzger said.
#SouthwestAirlines Passengers across the country are facing unprecedented flight delays and cancellations, including this flyer that spent Christmas Day stuck in San Diego.
He finally succeeded in @CVGAirport two days later, but his luggage did not arrive with him. More at 11 @WCPO pic.twitter.com/HMMh0yLHoO
— Valerie Lyons (@VLyonsTV) December 28, 2022
Metzger was able to fly again on Tuesday, but still faced hours-long delays before he could finally land in Cincinnati that evening.
“I’ve never had flights like this where if it’s delayed usually you know in advance, if it’s canceled you know in advance,” he said. . “But they’re asking you to sit there and wait hours after you’re supposed to be picked up and then say it’s instead of giving you really long notice.”
Some Southwest flyers are luckier than others.
James Jemison celebrated his 77th birthday on Christmas Day. After his flight was canceled, Jemison and his wife were able to book the last two free seats on another airline at the last minute in order to fly home on Tuesday evening.
Jemison said he wouldn’t have known about the cancellation if his friend hadn’t told him to check his email the night before.
“I would have been ticked off if I got up early in the morning, went to the airport, tried to go through the TSA and all that, and then found out my flight had been cancelled. It would have been a bad thing,” he said. “We were able to book another flight, otherwise it would be Saturday. They notified us before we could fly back to Cincinnati.”
Baggage from delayed and canceled flights stretches along the @CVGAirport baggage claim floor waiting to be picked up.
People are frustrated.
At age 7, he heard from a Southwest flier who, after several canceled flights, got to Cincy two days late. But her bags never arrived.@WCPO pic.twitter.com/0Bh7bY08sH
– Valerie Lyons (@VLyonsTV) December 27, 2022
Southwest customers have spoken out on social media about cancellations, delays and long waits to speak with a customer service agent.
The lack of communication is what is causing the most turbulence now, Metzger said.
“The phone lines are shot, so you can’t reach everyone,” he said. “If you want to talk to someone, you have to wait in line for five hours, so you’re pretty much hoping for the best.”
“You have to have a little patience this time around I guess, but uh wow, that’s pretty ridiculous,” said fellow passenger Brian Walker. And there’s no information being broadcast at all and so it’s kind of boring.
On Monday evening, the US Department of Transportation said on Twitter that it was reviewing the situation to see if the cancellations were controllable.
The USDOT is concerned about Southwest’s unacceptable rate of cancellations and delays and reports of a lack of prompt customer service. The department will review whether the cancellations were controllable and whether Southwest is complying with its customer service plan.
— TransportationGov (@USDOT) December 27, 2022
The department also said it will review whether Southwest is complying with its customer service plan.
On Tuesday, Southwest Airlines CEO Bob Jordan apologized to customers and staff in a video message.
He said Southwest had been hit harder by the recent winter storm than other airlines.
“We are the largest airline in 23 of the top 25 travel markets – cities where large numbers of scheduled flights froze simultaneously as record cold weather posed challenges for all airlines,” Jordan said.
US Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg spoke with labor leaders and Jordan on Tuesday afternoon.
They discussed expectations for Southwest Airlines to meet its obligations to passengers and workers and see the airline working to ensure something like this never happens again.
To return to normal, Jordan said the airline would operate on a reduced flight schedule for the rest of the week – serving around a third of its flights.
The first canceled flights can be rescheduled on December 1. 31.
“We always take care of our customers, and we will bend down and go beyond what they expect of us,” he said.
You can watch the full video statement here.
READ MORE
TSA expects holiday travel to reach pre-pandemic levels
Experts explain how to stay healthy while traveling during the busy holiday season
Air travel is more expensive and has fewer options this holiday season
0 Comments