TULSA, Okla. — The woes continue for thousands of Southwest travelers stranded across the country due to an unprecedented number of flight cancellations. Airline leaders are now saying it may be days before their crews are able to get a good handle on the situation.
A manager with Southwest said the winter storms impacted their aircraft, pilots, and flight crews. He said they are working through this, but it will be days before their crews are able to reset.
In fact, they anticipate cancellations through December 30th.
Jeremy Herrfelt is among the thousands of travelers who had to adjust their travel plans to see family this season when Southwest canceled his flight.
“Right now, it seems like it’s just a shortage of crews. They can’t get the staff to man the planes. So obviously, if you don’t have any workers, you can’t have the planes going, so luckily I got a full refund," Herrfelt said.
Anna Erwin is one of the lucky ones. She finally flew into Tulsa today, feeling grateful and relieved to finally be home.
“It’s been a long journey!" Erwin said.
She was supposed to fly in from Houston on Dec. 26, but said Southwest canceled her flight that day. When she tried rebooking, she said she was put on a three-hour hold. Once she finally got through to someone, she was told her flight had been rebooked to arrive in Tulsa at about 6:35 p.m. However, this morning when she woke up, she found her rebooked flight with Southwest had been canceled once again.
“To be frank, after the second cancellation from Southwest, I just didn’t know how I was going to get home. I was looking at rental cars and it was just going to be so expensive. I was just like I don’t know when I’m going to get home, how I’m going to get home," Erwin said.
Determined to make it to her destination, she sought out other alternatives.
“I decided to book through United instead and thankfully was able to find a flight the exact same day, and so now I’m back here in Tulsa, and I’m just really grateful," Erwin said.
Piles of luggage add to the ordeal. Matt Fields was traveling from Philly to Norman. He and his family managed to arrive close enough to their destination, but their baggage did not.
“They didn’t get our bags switched over, so we have no bags," Fields said.
A Southwest manager did not want to go on camera but said they will assume the cost to have the passengers' luggage delivered to their desired location.
He said passengers could expect long lines and wait times to get through the phones. He apologized for the inconvenience and said impacted travelers will receive refund vouchers.
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