Current:Home > ScamsSouthwest plans on near-normal operations Friday after widespread cancellations -Quantum Capital Pro
Southwest plans on near-normal operations Friday after widespread cancellations
View
Date:2025-04-15 18:34:42
Southwest Airlines said it expects to return close to a normal flight schedule Friday after the carrier was forced to cancel thousands of flights during the busy Christmas travel season, in a meltdown aggravated by a winter storm and the company's outdated technology.
Hundreds of thousands of travelers continued to bear the brunt of the airline's challenges on Thursday, with Southwest again canceling over half of its flights.
Ahead of the New Year's weekend, Southwest now says a recovery is in sight.
"We are encouraged by the progress we've made to realign Crew, their schedules, and our fleet," the company said in a statement. "With another holiday weekend full of important connections for our valued Customers and Employees, we are eager to return to a state of normalcy."
The severe weather has exacerbated staff shortages caused by the "tripledemic" that's left employees sickened with COVID-19, the flu and RSV.
But it was a breakdown of the airline's old computer system used for crew scheduling that has turned otherwise challenging weather-fueled disruptions into what experts have called an "unprecedented" airline meltdown.
Stuck in Denver for days with no luggage
Like so many, April Proveaux and her family of five were stuck in Denver for four days with no luggage.
"We were told that night that our bags had already flown to Memphis," she said. "Which didn't make sense to us because no flights had taken off."
It was a frigid minus 3 degrees in Denver, but the family had packed their winter coats and had only the warm-weather clothes they'd put on that morning in California. When they finally got back home to Memphis and stood in line with dozens of others to check on their luggage, it turned out their bags had been in Denver the whole time.
Given all the chaos she's witnessed this week, Proveaux figured she'd never see her bags again. But on Wednesday night, to her shock, the luggage was delivered to her door.
In an apology statement late Wednesday — and again on a media briefing call on Thursday — Southwest said passengers can apply online for baggage returns, flight refunds and travel expenses from this week's disruption.
Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg says Southwest has agreed to honor "reasonable" requests for reimbursement for passengers who faced delays between Dec. 24 and Jan. 2. But the Proveaux family flight was canceled on Dec. 23.
"If Southwest fails to cover these costs, let us know and we will investigate and enforce," Buttigieg said Thursday. "Anyone facing denied or delayed compensation can file a complaint with us and we'll follow up."
Still, Proveaux remains skeptical about getting back the $1,500 she says her family spent while stranded
By Thursday afternoon, there were still few signs of relief: More than 2,300 Southwest flights had been canceled, according to airline tracker FlightAware. In comparison, Frontier, which had the second-most cancellations by a U.S. airline at that time, had 19 flights drop off its schedule.
Both the Biden administration and Congress say they will investigate what went wrong at Southwest.
The company has faced criticism for its outdated scheduling software and communications systems, and the impact that has — not just on passengers but also its employees.
Chaotic scheduling and mandatory overtime
Former Southwest operations agent Hally Chauvin says she quit the company three months ago because of chaotic scheduling and mandatory overtime.
"I was working 20-hour shifts all the time, just from them extending my shifts," she says.
Chauvin recalls a time, while helping to board a flight, that she was told to locate a pilot who was on the plane as a passenger.
"I had to pull him off my plane, when he was trying to go home to see his family, so he could go work another flight just because he was at the airport," she says.
Chauvin was among those caught up in this week's cancellations and says she was not surprised by the meltdown given her experience at the company.
Randy Barnes, president of the Transport Workers Union's Local 555, which represents Southwest employees, said in a statement Wednesday that many Southwest ground workers had to work 16- or 18-hour shifts during the holiday season and were getting sick and experiencing frostbite.
"The airline needs to do more to protect its ground crews," he said.
veryGood! (584)
Related
- What do we know about the mysterious drones reported flying over New Jersey?
- US senator’s son faces new charges in crash that killed North Dakota sheriff’s deputy
- Suriname’s ex-dictator sentenced to 20 years in prison for the 1982 killings of political opponents
- In federal challenge to Mississippi law, arguments focus on racial discrimination and public safety
- Woman dies after Singapore family of 3 gets into accident in Taiwan
- Arizona man arrested for allegedly making online threats against federal agents and employees
- Watch Los Angeles Chargers kicker Cameron Dicker's viral Pro Bowl campaign video
- California’s top prosecutor won’t seek charges in 2020 fatal police shooting of Bay Area man
- Tarte Shape Tape Concealer Sells Once Every 4 Seconds: Get 50% Off Before It's Gone
- North Carolina governor commutes prisoner’s sentence, pardons four ex-offenders
Ranking
- McKinsey to pay $650 million after advising opioid maker on how to 'turbocharge' sales
- Singer David Daniels no longer in singers’ union following guilty plea to sexual assault
- California’s top prosecutor won’t seek charges in 2020 fatal police shooting of Bay Area man
- Romance scammer who posed as St. Louis veterinarian gets 3 years in federal prison after woman loses $1.1 million
- Brianna LaPaglia Reveals The Meaning Behind Her "Chickenfry" Nickname
- Mortgage rate for a typical home loan falls to 6.8% — lowest since June
- China emerged from ‘zero-COVID’ in 2023 to confront new challenges in a changed world
- North Carolina Medicaid expansion enrollment reached 280,000 in first weeks of program
Recommendation
Who's hosting 'Saturday Night Live' tonight? Musical guest, how to watch Dec. 14 episode
Key takeaways from an AP investigation into how police failed to stop a serial killer
Kourtney Kardashian Shares Message on Postpartum Healing After Welcoming Son Rocky With Travis Barker
Syracuse vs. University of South Florida schedule: Odds and how to watch Boca Raton Bowl
Could your smelly farts help science?
Arizona man arrested for allegedly making online threats against federal agents and employees
One Tree Hill's Paul Johansson Reflects on Struggle With Depression While Portraying Dan Scott
After 2 grisly killings, a small Nebraska community wonders if any place is really safe