Cancellations, delays by Southwest Airlines impacting travel at PHL
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) – Thousands of flights have been canceled or delayed since late last week as a winter storm impacting the United States continues to cause headaches for holiday travelers.
Nationwide, more than 3,000 flights were canceled Monday and more than 2,400 flights were canceled Tuesday. Airport officials urge travelers to check their flight status before leaving for the airport.
Southwest Airlines accounts for a whopping share of those flights, leaving customers stranded and frustrated.
According to FlightAware, 80% of Southwest flights out of Philadelphia Tuesday are canceled. The problem is still being felt across the country as Southwest canceled 2,500 flights the most of any airline.
In a statement, Southwest said it was staffed and prepared for the holiday weekend but the severe weather and winter storms disrupted plans. The U.S. Department of Transportation is now reviewing what went wrong.
Some travelers have been stranded for days now and they are understandably growing more frustrated.
CBS3 spoke with a woman from Chester who finally made it back to Philly but her luggage is stuck in Chicago.
"We were supposed to fly into Philadelphia via Midway," Vangie White said. "Our flight was canceled. We stayed in line for three and a half hours trying to get in...rebooked and still nothing and so we took a flight on American to get here but our luggage is still stuck in Midway."
It's been a very busy holiday travel season. For some travelers trying to get to their destinations after Christmas, it's been quite the headache.
One step inside Philadelphia International Airport and you can feel the hustle and bustle.
The frustration continues for many @SouthwestAir passengers. Look at the pile of unclaimed luggage at @PHLAirport. Some passengers are being told they won’t get their bags for days. One man who flew from Omaha said his bag was filled with presents for his kids. @CBSPhiladelphia pic.twitter.com/2XqPEsaRGe
— Ryan Hughes (@HughesCBS3) December 27, 2022
But for some flying out, they're dealing with cancellations and delays.
"Typical weather delays," Debbie Thurman said. "It is what it is, life goes on."
Thurman was at the airport for hours but still looked on the bright side. She came in from Texas to visit her son and is having a hard time getting back home.
"I was waiting in line, they were going to reschedule my flight and they did but they bumped it out another week and that's just not a good deal because I have to get down to home where I can get back to work," Thurman said.
Southwest says they are working to recover from operational challenges stemming from the recent winter weather.
They apologized to passengers and said: "We are working with safety at the forefront to urgently address wide scale disruption by rebalancing the airline and repositioning crews and our fleet to best serve all who plan to travel with us."
Southwest says they are working to make things right for those we've let down. The airline is providing food and hotel vouchers to travelers dealing with extended delays.
Those flying the airline are trying to come up with backup plans, saying the customer service phone lines just keep ringing and ringing.
"My flight got canceled. My boss is now very disappointed that I'm not at work tomorrow and I am missing out on a day's pay," a man said. "If they can't get me home, I am going to drive through the night and get myself home."
Others were so close to getting home until it got canceled literally last minute.
"Our plane was at the tarmac and ready to go and there was no crew available," Steve Branham, of Houston, said. "How do you have no crew when there are so many cancellations? I have never spent the night at the airport before so this is the first time."
CBS3 spoke with another man who said he rented a car and drove 12 hours because he has two kids and was trying to visit family.
According to Southwest, it will fly about one-third of its schedule as it works through this mess. So the troubles could linger for a few more days.
Despite the travel troubles, some say they still enjoyed the holiday.
You can find all the latest flight cancellations on the virtual departure and arrival board.