Funviralpark He spoke directly to Southwest CEO Bob Jordan on Tuesday about the thousands of flights that have been canceled this week and could not immediately indicate when passengers could rebook.
“Their system has completely collapsed,” Buttigieg told CNN’s Wolf Blitzer on Tuesday.
“Our department has made it clear that we will hold them accountable for their responsibilities to customers in order to work through this situation and ensure it does not happen again.”
Passengers booked on beleaguered Southwest Airlines are hoping for much-needed relief for flight cancellations and delays.
Almost all of the nearly 2,600 cancellations already made on Wednesday belong to the Southwest.
All other US airlines combined account for just over 100 of these cancellations.
Latest flight cancellation and delay figures
Looking at the current numbers, you can see why Buttigieg is so worried.
Of the canceled flights, more than 2,650 Southwest stuff. That’s almost two-thirds of all Southwest Airlines flights on Tuesday and a staggering 85% of all flights canceled in the US.
In contrast, competitor Alaska Airlines canceled 10% of flights, while United canceled only 2%.
Denver International Airport was the most affected by Tuesday’s cancellations, followed by Harry Reid International Airport in Las Vegas, Chicago Midway International Airport, Baltimore/Washington International Airport, Nashville International Airport and Dallas Love Field Airport.
As of 7:15 PM ET on Tuesday, there were nearly 6,00 delays.
Buttigieg tasks Southwest
Southwest Airlines said a combination of factors, including winter storm delays, aggressive flight schedules and outdated infrastructure, contributed to the travel disaster.
“As far as I know, Southwest Airlines has not been able to locate the passengers, baggage, or even the crew.”
A secretary told Jordan that he expects Southwest to proactively provide refunds and cost reimbursements without asking affected passengers.
“I have told the CEO that I expect them to take better care of their passengers and work harder than ever to address this.
Buttigieg told CNN that the Department of Transportation was prepared to fine Southwest Airlines if there was evidence that the company failed to meet its legal obligations. It added that it was looking into the customer service issue that had occurred.
“Every other part of the aviation system is recovering and improving day by day, but it’s actually going in the opposite direction with this airline,” Buttigieg said.
“We have a company here that has a lot of work to do,” he said.
Video apology
Jordan said, “We are doing everything we can to return to normal operations, but please also hear that we are truly sorry.
Jordan admitted he had issues with the company’s response, but the statement suggested he didn’t foresee major changes to Southwest’s procedures in response to the mass cancellations.
“The tools you use to recover from chaos will help you 99% of the time, but to avoid facing what’s happening now again, you need to revoke your existing plans to upgrade your systems for these extreme situations. It’s clear that we need to double down,” Jordan said.
“I’m optimistic that we’ll be back on track by next week.”
So what can Southwest passengers do?
Katie Nastro, Scott’s cheap flights spokesperson, tells us what to do if your flight is delayed or cancelled.
Southwest warns that this week’s cancellations and delays are expected to continue for several more days.
So where do customers in real traffic go? What should they do?
“Right now, every airline in the country is so crowded that the chances of finding a seat, even at half the price, are getting smaller by the hour,” said Potter.
“Travelers in this situation should make sure to keep receipts for all other flights, rental cars, hotel stays, meals, etc.,” Potter said.
“Primary hotlines for U.S. airlines will be congested with rebooking other passengers. To reach an agent immediately, call any of the airline’s dozens of international offices. said Scott Keyes.
“Agents can process bookings just like US-based agencies, but with very little wait to get through.”
multiplication problem
The Southwest has been hit particularly hard by a series of problems.
A storm hit the two largest hubs in Chicago and Denver at a time when winter sickness was expanding its staff roster.
The winter storm that swept across the country was ill-timed for travelers as flights over the Christmas week began to return to pre-pandemic levels.
According to FlightAware, 3,178 flights were canceled and 6,870 delayed over Christmas. According to FlightAware, a total of 3,487 flights were canceled on Christmas Eve.
Friday was the worst day of the streak with 5,934 cancellations, while Thursday had almost 2,700 cancellations.
Long queues and piles of luggage at the airport
Travelers wait to pick up their bags at a Southwest Airlines baggage counter after a flight is canceled at Los Angeles International Airport in Los Angeles, Monday, Dec. 26, 2022.
Eugene Garcia/AP
On Tuesday morning, long lines were already forming at the Southwest ticket counters at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport as travelers waited to rebook or transfer flights.
And on Chicago’s Midway international flight, unclaimed bags piled up as passengers struggled to retrieve their bags. There were similar scenes at other airports, including Las Vegas’ Harry Reed and Houston’s William P. Hobby Airport.
Passenger Trisha Jones told CNN at the Atlanta airport that she and her partner had been traveling for five days trying to return to Wichita, Kansas after getting off a cruise in Fort Lauderdale, Fla.
After her flight was canceled, she stayed at a relative’s house before traveling to Atlanta to catch a connecting flight.
“We were lucky because we were in Fort Lauderdale. My family lives in the Tampa Bay Area, so we were able to rent a car to visit them over Christmas,” Jones said. said. “I’ve seen so many families sleeping on the floor and it breaks my heart.”
Southwest: “Keep your receipt”
A Southwest Airlines spokesperson said recent winter storms were responsible for the chain of cancellations.
“As storms continued to ravage across the country, impacting many large broadcasters, cancellations continued to climb from 100 to 150,” Jay McVay said at a press conference at Houston’s William P. Hobby Airport. 1,000,” he said on Monday night.
“These cancellations will result in flight crews and planes being out of place and not being placed in the cities where they are needed to continue operations.”
McVay said the company’s top priority right now is safety. “We want to make sure that we operate these flights safely and that our crew has a legitimate and sufficient amount of time to operate these flights,” he said.
“We will do whatever it takes to solve the challenges we are facing right now,” he said, adding, “We have hotels, ride assistance, vans, rental cars, etc. to help these people get home as quickly as possible. I will do it.” as possible. “
He promised to accommodate all customers, including those who have already left the airport or who have made separate arrangements themselves.
“If you’ve already left home, take care of yourself, do what’s necessary for your family, and keep your receipts,” McVay said. It doesn’t matter.”
What’s Wrong From a Pilot’s Perspective
He explained that last week’s storm was the catalyst that triggered the major technical issues.
“What hasn’t worked is that our IT infrastructure for scheduling software is significantly outdated,” he said. “Complex route networks cannot handle the number of pilots and flight attendants in the system.
“We don’t have a regular hub like other big airlines do. We operate a point-to-point network, so crew can be misplaced even without planes.”
“It is frustrating for pilots, flight attendants and especially our passengers. They really do.”
in other developments
Buffalo, New York has been particularly hard with winter storms.
Joad Vieira/AFP/Getty Images
CNN’s Andy Rose, Andi Babineau, Adrienne Broaddus, Dave Alsap, Nick Valencia, David Goldman, Leslie Perrot, Carlos Suarez, and Ross Levitt contributed to this article.
