I get the total number "affected" math, but my point was that SOME of those 150/flight will have expensive reimbursable expenses, but many (maybe most?) will not. I can think of many trips we've taken where a canceled return, even for a few days, would basically mean going back to my parents' or sister's house to hang out, vs a few where it would mean buying whatever was needed to get home for some reason. And many where a outbound just means disappointedly staying at home, vs a very few where we'd have to find any other way to get there. Notably, Southwest did not state that they'd reiumburse for things like missed cruises, nonrefundable destination hotels and other things like that, and I suspect those are the things they'll be less likely to cover.

I wasn't clear; I agree that interlining may not have cleared up the backlog in any significant way -- I just meant that it makes a big difference to individual passenger who can find a flight. There are many reports of people finding alternate flights to take, and when you go to United, for example, they can, and in this situation usually will, rebook you on the 3:30 American flight for no cost. But Southwest can't do that, so you have to pay the full walkup cost of the new flight, and wait for the Southwest refund -- and here since they specifically mentioned it the reimbursement for the additional cost.