Southwest Airlines Cancels Over 70 Percent of Flights, Blames Winter Storm

A traveler looks at an information board showing flight cancellations and delays at Reagan National airport during a winter storm ahead of the Christmas holiday in Arlington, Va., on Dec. 23, 2022. Mandel Ngan/AFP via Getty Images

Thousands of people have been left stranded this holiday weekend after Southwest Airlines canceled more than 2,000 flights amid extreme winter weather conditions.

The Dallas, Texas-based airline canceled approximately 2,897 flights as of 22:03 p.m. ET Monday; making up at least 71 percent of its scheduled flights for the day, according to flight tracker FlightAware. That is more cancellations than any other airline.

Another 667 flights were delayed, leaving customers waiting around, often for hours, in busy airports. A day prior, on Sunday, the airline canceled more than 1,600 flights.

Passengers whose flights were canceled were later notified that they would not be able to rebook on Southwest Airlines until Saturday, Dec. 31, or after, according to multiple reports.

In a statement, the airline blamed the severe weather events on the cancellations, noting that it was fully staffed and “prepared” for the busy holiday weekend.

“Our heartfelt apologies for this are just beginning,” the airline said. “We’re working with safety at the forefront to urgently address wide-scale disruption by rebalancing the airline and repositioning crews and our fleet ultimately to best serve all who plan to travel with us.”

The airline added that the winter blizzard had “forced daily changes to our flight schedule at a volume and magnitude that still has the tools our teams use to recover the airline operating at capacity.”

Passengers arrive for their flight on Southwest Airlines as flight cancellations mount during a cold weather front as a weather phenomenon known as a bomb cyclone hits the Upper Midwest, at Midway International Airport in Chicago on Dec. 22, 2022. Matt Marton/Reuters

New Year to See Reduced Flights

“This safety-first work is intentional, ongoing, and necessary to return to normal reliability, one that minimizes last-minute inconveniences. We anticipate additional changes with an already reduced level of flights as we approach the coming New Year holiday travel period. And we’re working to reach to Customers whose travel plans will change with specific information and their available options,” Southwest said.

The airline also vowed to “work to make things right for those we’ve let down, including our employees.”

However, Southwest Airlines also began canceling flights before the Christmas weekend—scrapping 1,300 flights on Thursday and Friday last week.

Following thousands of flight cancellations, the U.S. Department of Transportation said it was “concerned by Southwest’s unacceptable rate of cancellations and delays and reports of lack of prompt customer service” and will be investigating whether or not the cancellations were “controllable” and if Southwest is complying with its customer service plan.

Earlier COVID-19 Problems

Earlier this year, the department said it had received a “flood of complaints” from air travelers since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic after multiple airlines failed to provide refunds in a timely manner to customers when their flights were either canceled or significantly changed.

Under U.S. law, airlines and ticket agents must refund air travelers if the airline cancels or significantly changes a flight to, from, and within the United States, including if the passenger does not wish to accept an offered alternative.

As a result, the department began investigating dozens of airlines over alleged failures to issue refunds in a timely manner and collectively fined the airlines $7.25 million.

The airlines—Frontier, Aeromexico, Air India, TAP Portugal, El Al, and Avianca—were also required to pay about $600 million in refunds for flight issues.

A plane sits on the airfield as flight cancellations mount during a cold weather front hit the Upper Midwest at Midway International Airport in Chicago on Dec. 22, 2022. Matt Marton/Reuters

According to Southwest Airlines’ customer service plan, for significant flight delays or Southwest-initiated cancellations that are not within the airline’s control, such as weather or safety/security events, the airline will rebook passengers on the next available flights at no additional cost.

If passengers choose not to travel due to a significant delay and/or cancellation, Southwest will issue a refund of the unused portion of the ticket if requested to do so.

“Although we do not offer complimentary lodging accommodations for significant flight delays or Southwest-initiated cancellations that are not in our control, we will seek to arrange a discount off of a lodging accommodation near the airport,” the customer service plan states.

The airline also says that customers whose flights have been canceled can request a full refund or receive a flight credit, which does not expire.

Union Blames Cancellations on ‘Management Failures’

While Southwest blamed technological issues and severe weather for the cancellations over the weekend, the flight attendants’ union, Transit Workers Union 556, accused the airline of “failing its employees once again,” which it said was “the result of years of refusal to modernize operations.”

“The way Southwest Airlines has treated its flight crews can only be termed ‘despicable,’” said Lyn Montgomery, president of TWU Local 556, in a statement.

“We know the demands of holiday travel. We know winter storms. And believe me, we know about stepping up and putting in long work hours when we are called to do so; we are flight attendants. But at this point, the many years of failure by management, despite many unions’ demands to modernize, has left flight attendants fatigued, stranded, hungry, and cold – on Christmas! This impacts lives and threatens safety for all.”

In total, 3,937 flights within, into, or out of the United States were canceled on Monday, according to FlightAware, while 7,977 were delayed.