It was a tough weekend for airline passengers.
Airlines canceled and postponed more than ten thousand flights on Saturday and Sunday due to the storms Florida A technical problem with Southwest Airlines is stranding travelers across the country and creating long wait times to reach the airline’s customer service. More than 3,200 flights were canceled and 7,000 delayed this weekend, according to flight tracking I mentioned the trip.
The flight problems come during the busy spring break travel season and at a time of increased travel due to pent-up demand from the pandemic.
Southwest, the country’s largest domestic airline, was the hardest hit in terms of number of flights. The company canceled 520 flights on Saturday, 14% of its operations, and 396 flights on Sunday.
In addition to the weather, Southwest said it encountered intermittent technical issues early Saturday that hurt the airline.
Southwest, the nation’s largest domestic airline, previously said about 40% to 50% of its planes fly through Florida on any given day.
Budget airline Spirit, which has its headquarters and largest hub in Fort Lauderdale, recorded the largest number of cancellations this weekend. The airline canceled 27% of its flights on Saturday and so far has canceled 24% of its flights on Sunday, according to FlightAware.
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JetBlue Airways canceled 25% of its flights on Sunday after canceling 15% of its flights on Saturday, according to FlightAware.
American Airlines canceled 364 flights on Saturday and 211 on Sunday.
US spokesman Yamlik Murillo said the airline is still recovering from the impact of Florida’s storms.
Passengers of all airlines should check the status of their flights before heading to the airport on Sunday.
Do I get a refund if my flight is cancelled?
Passengers whose flights have been canceled by the airline are entitled to a refund and not just a travel credit, regardless of the reason for the flight.
However, the problem for many travelers in these situations is that they still need to return home or to their destination and that reimbursement will not cover expensive last minute flights on other airlines. In these cases, the only option is to accept the next available flight offered by the airline, even if it is not on the same day.
‘It’s been a day’: A Southwest traveler rushes to find a new flight
Texas attorney Erin Chancellor was scheduled to travel from Austin to Greenville, South Carolina, early Sunday for a business conference in Asheville, North Carolina.
Saturday night, he received a text alert about a flight change. The chancellor winced when she saw the departure at 5:15 a.m., an hour earlier than the original departure time, and her arrival was delayed by a five-hour layover.
That wasn’t the worst part.
It was the new flight created by Southwest on Monday.
“I was like, ‘Oh, that’s definitely not going to work,'” she said. “”The important day (at the conference) is tomorrow.”
The counselor, Southwest’s largest frequent flyer, spent 90 minutes waiting for Southwest’s priority customer service line before hanging up and connecting via Twitter.
Southwest didn’t have any available flight options that would take her anywhere near Asheville on Sunday night, so she asked for a refund of her $350 ticket and started looking for other airline tickets.
Best You Can Find: $650 round-trip on Delta Air Lines to Atlanta. He has spent several hours since his 37th birthday driving to Asheville. He got one of the last rental cars available in Atlanta, but the price was high: $600, double the price he would have paid for a car outside of Greenville.
“It was once,” he said.
Know your rightsThis is what airlines owe you if your flight is canceled or delayed
Grace Montgomery writes for News Collective, covering news, politics, business, technology, sport, entertainment, and lifestyle. She focuses on clear, reliable reporting and useful information, helping readers stay informed about current events, emerging trends, and stories that matter.