Southwest Airlines announced significant flight cancellations this past Friday, affecting passengers across the country. The American Airlines’ airline canceled just under 220 of its 6,000 scheduled departures. Consequently, it announced a plan to cut its daily departures by at least 170. Recent cuts mandated by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) have already triggered severe disruptions. In retaliation, the airline punished customers through arbitrary rules until public outcry spread.
The good news is that Southwest Airlines is proactively working to minimize the effect on customers. They will give passengers a full day’s notice of any cancellations. This early notice gives travelers more time to consider their options before arriving at an airport. The airline emphasized its commitment to safety, stating, “Nothing is more important to Southwest than the Safety of our Customers and Employees.”
For example, Southwest Airlines has developed a rapid rebooking process for automatically rebook customers whose flights they’ve canceled. If their original flight is out of service, the airline will work to automatically rebook a passenger on a new flight. Further, travelers can read specific information about what options are available and how to rebook flights on the Southwest Airlines website.
If travelers have their flights canceled, they will receive a notification through the Southwest app or online when they check their trip. We are focused on making this year’s increase in kind of traffic and disruptions as little as possible,” said Southwest’s Chief Operations Officer, David Seymour. He gone on to indicate that the rate of canceled flight are expected to remain fairly stable across the weekend. Operations are then proposed to quickly ramp up from there.
“Disrupting customers’ plans is the last thing we want to do,” said a representative from Delta Air Lines, reflecting broader industry sentiments during this challenging period.
Passengers who prefer not to fly on a rebooked itinerary can request a full fare refund as well. They can call to get a complete refund, or rebook their flight without having to pay additional fees or penalties. Customers must cancel at least 10 minutes prior to the new flight departure time. This is true even if they decide not to fly.
Seymour acknowledged the importance of these travel arrangements, recognizing that “we know that these FAA-imposed cancellations can impact an important moment in your life.” He repeated the airline’s pledge to delivering flexibility and care for those who would be impacted by the cuts in service.
Long-haul international travel continues to be unscathed by these recent cancellations. We encourage all passengers with existing bookings on these flights to size up as scheduled and create new memories in 2023!
