A day after Christmas, Southwest Airlines, one of the major airlines of the United States cancelled 2,886 flights or 70 percent of its schedule, according to the flight tracking website FlightAware.The cancellations, which have left passengers stranded in the holiday season, come in the wake of a brutal winter storm that some have dubbed the 'blizzard of the century'. The storm has left nearly 50 people dead across the United States and caused Christmas travel chaos.
As a result, airports across the US are witnessing chaos with thousands of travelers and crew members stranded. The airports in Denver, Las Vegas, Chicago Midway, and Dallas Love Field, where Southwest is headquartered, witnessed the most cancellations, CNN reported. Passengers have complained of long lines to re-book flights, efforts to retrieve baggage, and unanswered phone calls to customer service. Southwest Airlines said this all started from the winter storm, which exacerbated staffing issues. According to ABC13, stranded Southwest customers can't rebook their flights until after December 31.
Frustrated travelers are now narrating their harrowing experiences on social media, sharing videos to show the ongoing chaos at the airports. Several passengers said how they were reduced to tears after they had to wait hours to get their luggage. Some were told to find their bags in a sea of suitcases placed on the floor at the baggage claim area.
Here are some posts:
Meanwhile, The U.S. Department of Transportation tweeted on Monday night that it will look into whether Southwest Airlines is abiding by its customer service policy.
In a tweet, they wrote, ''USDOT is concerned by Southwest's unacceptable rate of cancellations and delays & reports of lack of prompt customer service. The Department will examine whether cancellations were controllable and if Southwest is complying with its customer service plan.''
