Passengers stranded at airport after Southwest cancels dozens of flights: ‘I just want off the rock. Get me home.’

The Southwest Airlines ticket counter was decked with glittering tinsel and bows, welcoming passengers at Norfolk International Airport.

But holiday cheer was marred with frustration over travel woes as the growing line of customers trying to rebook found themselves stranded Tuesday after the airline canceled or delayed a swath of flights across the country.

Cassandra Medina planted herself on a bench in the Southwest check-in area — her luggage stacked next to her. Medina’s eyes were red and puffy from crying as she FaceTimed with her husband, who is back in San Juan, Puerto Rico.

“My Christmas was ruined. My New Year’s is probably ruined, too,” Medina said.

A massive winter storm, which dropped several feet of snow in Buffalo, New York, and sent temperatures plummeting across much of the United States this weekend, sent airlines into a tailspin. But while most U.S. airlines had largely recovered as of Monday, problems at Southwest Airlines appeared to snowball. The Associated Press reported Southwest had canceled more than 70% of its flights Monday, 60% on Tuesday, and warned it would operate just over a third of its usual schedule in the days ahead to allow crews to get back to where they needed to be.

Tuesday at Norfolk International Airport, 13 flights — seven arrivals and six departures — were canceled, all of which were Southwest, according to the airline tracking site Flight Aware. Monday saw 15 flights cancellations coming in and out of Norfolk International. Of those, 13 were Southwest flights. Other airlines, such as American, Delta and United, were not experiencing delays or cancellations like Southwest. On the Peninsula, Flight Aware showed no cancellations at Newport News/Williamsburg, which offers flights with American and Avelo airlines.

Medina flew in to Norfolk on Dec. 14 for what was supposed to be a 10-day visit with family and friends in Hampton Roads. She was originally scheduled to return home to Puerto Rico on Christmas Eve to spend the holiday with her husband.

But in the past four days, her Southwest flights have been canceled seven times, extending her 10-day trip by at least a week and costing her an estimated $1,000 — and counting — out of pocket for transportation and food.

“I have been bumming it with friends, couch surfing, and going back and forth to the airport trying to get a flight out,” Medina said.

Tuesday, the line at the Southwest check-in counter continued to grow as passengers arrived for their flights. Those who discovered their flights to Nashville, Orlando, Baltimore or Chicago airports had been canceled found seats on a bench, and when those were full, sat or leaned along a wall. Many had banking cards in hand as they scrolled through flight options on their phones, occasionally checking the flight monitor for additional cancellations and delays.

“This is ridiculous,” said Tracy Ward as she stormed out of the check-in area to a smoking area right outside. She had just received word she could not get a Southwest flight out of Norfolk until at least Saturday.

Switching airlines, Ward said, would cost upward of $3,000 for two tickets — money Southwest would not reimburse because it would be with a different airline.

Ward balanced a cigarette between her index and middle fingers before breathing it in.

“Stress relief,” she said with a halfhearted smile as she exhaled.

Ward and her husband, Doug, flew into Norfolk on Thursday to spend Christmas in Colonial Williamsburg. They were due to fly back to Nashville Tuesday, and were halfway to Norfolk when Ward received a text notification from Southwest Airlines alerting her their flight had been canceled.

Ward said she tried to call the airline to see what their options were, but could not reach a representative on the phone. When she tried to rebook online, all Southwest Airlines flights showed as “unavailable.”

“I am not mad at them. I am just a little disappointed that it is taking Southwest days to get anything out,” Ward said.

Rather than risking additional travel woes, the Wards decided they would try their luck at getting a rental car to make the 11-hour drive home.

“We canceled our return ticket, so they were nice enough to give me a credit for the tickets. But they can’t tell me if they will refund me the rental car,” Ward said.

Southwest said in a statement the airline has launched a website, Southwest.com/traveldisruption, where customers can contact the company to rebook flights or request refunds. The company is directing customers to its travel advisory webpage, offering waivers to passengers to change their flights without paying additional charges. The waivers will expire Jan. 2.

“The Southwest team is working to accommodate customers on available flights as soon as possible, and we apologize for the inconvenience to our customers,” a Southwest Airlines spokesperson said Tuesday in an email to The Virginian-Pilot.

The delays and the airline’s response has triggered a review by the U.S. Department of Transportation, which said it will examine the rate of cancellations and whether the company is complying with its customer service plan to assist stranded passengers.

Fed up with Southwest cancellations, Medina elected to forgo the rebooking options and find a flight with another airline. She managed to snag a $600 seat on an American Airlines flight scheduled to depart Richmond International Airport on Friday. Because she switched airlines, she said Southwest will not reimburse her.

“It’s Gilligan’s Island,” Medina said. “I just want off the rock. Get me home.”

Caitlyn Burchett, caitlyn.burchett@virginiamedia.com