Southwest Airlines Cancels More than 5,400 Flights in Two Days; ‘Unacceptable,’ Leaders Say
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Travelers have been stranded across the country as Southwest Airlines, hobbled by a holiday weekend of extreme winter weather, continues canceling and delaying thousands of its flights, an outcome that the company’s leaders have called “unacceptable.”
The Dallas-based carrier cancelled 2,909 flights on Monday, 2,549 more by noon on Tuesday, and delayed more than 1,000 over the two days, according to the flight-tracking website FlightAware.
Denver International Airport and Chicago Midway, where two of Southwest’s largest hubs are located, saw the most cancellations on Tuesday morning. The vast majority of cancelled flights nationwide on Tuesday are Southwest’s, which is struggling to get crews and planes to the right places.
In a statement on Tuesday, Southwest said it is planning to fly only about a third of its schedule in the next several days. The airline blamed the wide-scale disruptions on the severe weather and blizzards that affected much of the country. “We were fully staffed and prepared for the approaching holiday weekend when the severe weather swept across the continent,” the company said. “We recognize falling short and sincerely apologize.”
The U.S. Department of Transportation said it is looking into the airline. “USDOT is concerned by Southwest’s unacceptable rate of cancellations and delays & reports of lack of prompt customer service,” the agency stated on Twitter.
USDOT is concerned by Southwest’s unacceptable rate of cancellations and delays & reports of lack of prompt customer service. The Department will examine whether cancellations were controllable and if Southwest is complying with its customer service plan.
— TransportationGov (@USDOT) December 27, 2022
The extreme winter weather that walloped the nation has led to more than 50 deaths, according to media reports. About half of the deaths are in western New York, where hurricane-force winds and lake-effect snow caused whiteout conditions. The blizzard covered vehicles in huge snowdrifts and left ambulances and other emergency vehicles stranded. Firefighters, police officers, and medics were among those who had to be rescued.
The death toll in New York reached 28 on Monday, according to the Associated Press. Some of the people who died in the area were found frozen in their cars. Others died because ambulances could not get to people who suffered medical emergencies. At least one person died from carbon monoxide poisoning from a blocked furnace vent, the Buffalo News reported.
President Joe Biden approved an emergency declaration for the region, freeing up federal resources and directing the Federal Emergency Management Agency to coordinate relief efforts. Temperatures in Buffalo are in the mid 20s on Tuesday, with more snow expected.
New York governor Kathy Hochul has called the weekend blizzard an “epic, once-in-a-lifetime storm,” and she said on Twitter that she is “heartbroken by the loss of life.”
I am heartbroken by the loss of life from this storm.
Like all New Yorkers, Bill and I are keeping those we've lost — and all their loved ones — in our hearts and in our prayers.
— Governor Kathy Hochul (@GovKathyHochul) December 26, 2022
Buffalo leaders have also expressed frustration at looters who have broken into and ransacked several stores in the city, including a Family Dollar store and a local sports-apparel store. Videos of people robbing the stores have been shared widely on social media.
Buffalo mayor Byron Brown called the looters the “lowest of the low,” according to a report by NBC affiliate WGRZ. “People who are out looting when people are losing their lives in this harsh winter storm is just absolutely reprehensible,” Brown said during a press conference. “I don’t know how they can live with themselves.”
