Nearly 2/3 of Southwest Airlines flights are canceled Tuesday. Here’s what travelers should know.
Southwest Airlines customers are facing another day of frustration as more than 60% of the carrier’s flights are canceled Tuesday, according to FlightAware, which tracks flight status in real time.
“With consecutive days of extreme winter weather across our network behind us, continuing challenges are impacting our customers and employees in a significant way that is unacceptable,” Southwest said in a statement. “As we continue the work to recover our operation, we have made the decision to continue operating a reduced schedule by flying roughly one third of our schedule for the next several days.”
Of course, Southwest isn’t the only airline experiencing disruptions, but it accounted for the vast majority of the more than 2,900 cancellations across the U.S. as of Tuesday morning.
The airline is reaching out to impacted travelers and asking other customers, who aren’t scheduled to fly within the next 72 hours, to delay calling to avoid tying up busy phone lines. Here’s what Southwest customers should know.
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Southwest travel waiver
All Southwest customers who were scheduled to fly through Jan. 2, 2023 may rebook without paying additional charges or fly standby within 14 days of their original travel date between previously booked cities.
Flights may be rebooked on Southwest’s website or by phone at 1-800-I-FLY-SWA. Customers who call should expect long wait times.
Can I get a refund?
Customers who prefer a refund over rebooking may fill out a form on Southwest’s website if their flight was canceled.
The Department of Transportation requires all airlines to offer refunds when a flight is canceled for any reason. Rules about delays are more complicated and vary widely. The DOT’s dashboard for travelers lists policies by airline.
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Can I be reimbursed for extra expenses?
Southwest customers impacted by cancellations or a “significant flight delay” between Dec. 24 and Jan. 2 may submit receipts by email for reimbursement consideration.
“We will honor reasonable requests for reimbursement for meals, hotel, and alternate transportation,” the airline said on its website.