Airline says it will also reimburse related expenses as other carriers are capping fares to assist stranded travelers
Southwest’s descent into logistical chaos started on Thursday 22 December. While many airlines saw cancellations due to a historic winter storm that brought blizzard-like conditions to much of the US, Southwest cancelled numerous flights in areas such as southern California that were not reeling from inclement weather.
The cancellations waylaid thousands of flyers over the holiday weekend and into this week, with no clear path for returning home. There were numerous accounts of hours-long lines, days-long delays, overflowing baggage claims andSouthwest’s rebooking policy worsened the company’s customers’ plight. The airline does not rebook passengers on competing airlines, according to CNN.
As Southwest does not have agreements with other carriers that would permit rebooking on rival airlines, this limits customers’ options. “Southwest is unique in the industry in that we don’t have codeshare partners,” a Southwest spokesperson told CNN. “That is just part of our business model.”in a video on Tuesday. He blamed cancellations on cold temperatures across the US, claiming they affected flight paths.
Asked for comment on its rivals’ initiatives, Southwest told the Guardian in an email this morning: “We can’t comment on other airlines.” “We continue to operate a reduced schedule by flying roughly one-third of our schedule through Thursday, as of now. We have no updates or adjustments to share regarding Friday’s schedule,” the company said. “Our teams are continuing the work of reuniting customers with their bags.”