Southwest flights are getting canceled. Here’s what happened and how you can get a refund
Throughout the past week, holiday travel plans have gone awry for many who booked tickets with Southwest Airlines, which has canceled or delayed thousands of its flights over the past week, including ones at Seattle-Tacoma Airport (SEA).
As of early Thursday morning, a total of 34 flights traveling from or to SEA have been canceled, 31 of which are from Southwest Airlines, according to the flight tracking website Flight Aware. The airline company canceled around 2,350 flights in total on Thursday, accounting for about 58% of its schedule, according to the AP.
Online users have taken to social media platforms to express their ire over Southwest’s canceled flights. One Twitter user recorded what appears like hundreds of bags at a Southwest baggage claim in Tampa, Florida. Another video that has received thousands of views and re-shares depicts a police officer threatening to arrest passengers who were stranded at an airport in Nashville, Tennessee.
Southwest’s handling of its canceled flights has also received scrutiny from public officials. Sen. Maria Cantwell, who chairs the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation, also released a statement Wednesday about Southwest’s handling of its holiday flights.
“The problems at Southwest Airlines over the last several days go beyond weather,” reads the statement. “The Committee will be looking into the causes of these disruptions and its impact to consumers. Many airlines fail to adequately communicate with consumers during flight cancellations. Consumers deserve strong protections, including an updated consumer refund rule.”
In addition, the U.S. Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg appeared on Good Morning America on Wednesday to voice his concern. He also stated Thursday that the Department of Transportation is investigating the travel disruption situation.
“A week since the storm hit, every airline but one has recovered,” Buttigieg said on Thursday. “Overall we’re seeing around 3% of flights canceled, excluding the unacceptable performance of Southwest - which canceled 59% yesterday.”
The News Tribune reached out to Southwest for comment on Cantwell’s statement. The airline company did not directly address the comment but said it’s continuing “to operate a reduced schedule by flying roughly one third of our schedule for the next several days.”
Southwest has released an online self-service resource to assist those who may have been affected by any cancellations. If your Southwest ticket at SEA was canceled and you are experiencing difficulties rescheduling your flight or requesting a refund, here’s what to do.
Luggage
In an email to The News Tribune, Southwest Airlines provided information on what customers can do if they need help locating their baggage.
If you lost your luggage due to a canceled flight, you can submit a baggage report to Southwest that includes the flight departing airport, arriving airport, bag tag number and bag manufacturer.
You can choose to pick it up at the airport or have it delivered.
Flight booking
Southwest Airlines states on its website that people who have a ticket reserved from Dec. 25 to Jan. 2 may reschedule their flight in the same cabin class with no added charge. Customers can only change their flight to another one scheduled within 30 days of the original reservation. The flight must also travel between the same city pair as the original booking.
Refund
Customers who want to request a refund for their canceled flights can do so by filling out a form on Southwest Airlines’ website.
Those who paid for meals, hotel fees and transportation costs as a result of a canceled flight from Dec. 24 and Jan. 2 can email Southwest Airlines to request reimbursement for these additional costs.
Refunds are typically issued via the same payment method used to place the reservation. Credit card refunds will show up no more than seven business days after the request was made. Cash refunds are given to customers in the form of a check no later than 20 days from the time of the refund request.
If you wish to speak to a company representative, you can call 1-800-435-9792. The company warns customers that call volumes are currently high, so expect long wait times.
Customer rights
If you bought a ticket from Southwest or any other airline, be sure to know what your rights are as an airline consumer. The Department of Transportation of Transportation has created a dashboard that breaks down what airlines are responsible for when a flight is delayed or canceled.
This story was originally published December 29, 2022 at 10:20 AM with the headline "Southwest flights are getting canceled. Here’s what happened and how you can get a refund."