'We struggled to recover:' Southwest Airlines apologizes to tens of thousands of stranded passengers, cites 'operational challenges' with winter storm Elliott
Southwest Airlines says it could take days to rebook tens of thousands of stranded passengers, and nowhere has the airline's meltdown impacted more people than at Denver International Airport. The nation's fourth-largest carrier said it was dealing with "continuing challenges." It canceled more than 70% of its flights on Monday alone.
CBS News Colorado's Mekialaya White reached out to its PR Team for the latest update for stuck travelers, to which the company responded: "We plan to operate a reduced schedule by flying roughly one-third of our schedule for the next several days. We also implemented a site where Customers can contact Southwest to rebook or request a refund: Southwest.com/traveldisruption. Additionally, our Travel Advisory is still in effect to offer Customers maximum flexibility with rebooking."
Southwest representative Jay McVay is also apologizing to travelers across the United States who endured a nightmare journey this holiday season.
"First and foremost, we absolutely apologize," he said in a press conference. "Obviously facing some operational challenges… with winter storm Elliott."
McVay says issues snowballed as the storm moved across the country. Flight crews and airlines were out of place and not in the cities where they were needed.
"The cancellations just compiled one after another to 100 to 150 to 1000. It's just the fact that this one started west, swept east and impacted almost every single one of our largest airports that put us in a position where we struggled to recover. We struggled to get our flight crews and airplanes where they needed to be. Just about the time that we would get a runway clear in Denver and get airplanes de-iced and ready to go, that snow and ice was starting to impact St Louis, Kansas City, Chicago."
The U.S. Department of Transportation is now investigating the mass cancelations, as unions blame an outdated scheduling system. McVay says the debacle was not a result of staffing issues.
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"We've had sufficient staffing the entire time to address and operate our flight schedule," he said. "There were no staffing challenges for Southwest Airlines whatsoever when it came down to this. It was just the sheer size of the storm as it grew moving from west to east."
"We highly suggest and ask our folks, do what you need to do if you've already left [your airport)]," McVay continued. "Take care of yourself. Do what you need to do for your family. Keep your receipts and reach out to us at Southwest.com or our reservations number; 1-800-435-9792. And speak to one of our employees and we will make sure they are taken care of. That is not a question."