nsx

I has not decided on how far into the future to move my Monday flight before Southwest sent me a text Friday telling me they had canceled it.

Based on this one data point I expect you will get about 48 hours' notice of a cancellation.

Marcus Harper

I received notice of my 3/25 departure being canceled yesterday 3/21. Looking at this weekends SAN-SMF/OAK flights, it appeared that all flights before noon appeared as canceled.

xliioper

48 hours is probably optimistic. All the carriers are now engaging in mass cancellations with many only happening the day before. WN cancelled 33% of flights Sunday, are currently at 30% for Monday, but are now only at 4% for Tuesday. UA/AA are both currently at 19% for Tuesday. Delta seems to be waiting until closer in to cancel as they are currently at 38% for Monday (up from 28% on Sunday), but have yet to cancel any Tuesday flights. Wow, just checked Flightaware again and UA/AA now at roughly 40% for Tuesday, while WN is up to 9%. DL is also now starting to load Tuesday cancellations. Although there's also the possibility that Flightaware is running behind on catching these cancellations and airlines are somewhat more proactive in sending out notices.

ursine1

I very much suspect that most flights for the next several weeks will be canceled very soon. Carriers are hemorrhaging money flying nearly empty planes around and at some point that will have to stop.

screeton

What is with the Southwest website not showing many of the usual connections? Flying LIT-AUS on April 1, the website offers only two connecting flights, 2 via STL and 1 via HOU, each at 7038 points. There is also a 545 LIT departure nonstop to DAL, with 810am departure for Austin, resulting in considerably faster flight time and several hours earlier arrival than the three options offered by website. Booking two legs LIT-DAL and DAL-AUS is only 2468 + 2468. The layover time at Love is more than ample. What is the downside to booking two legs separately? Does the failure of this option to appear mean that something is more likely to be canceled, or is this just a glitch because they have not stitched the possible connections together as they have cut flights?

NoStressHere

I am guessing the last part above is part of the problem. With planes that often hit a handful of cities each day, one cancellation causes all sorts of downstream issues. Systems may be having trouble "stiching" the connecting flights together. As they continue to make adjustments, the "connection" logic gets broken.

As to booking two one way flights - usually you would be fine - but when one leg is cancelled LATER, you then run into problems. You can always gamble - but only if you are a high roller. LOL!

buckeyefanflyer

Only canceling 1000 of 4000 flights seems way to low. Who is traveling. More and more states issuing stay at home orders. Airports could be shut down. Number should be 3000 at least.

xliioper

1329 WN flights cancelled yesterday (33% of scheduled flights). 1264 cancelled so far today (31% of scheduled flights). So they are already over 1000 flights/day and agree that it will likely increase. There is still likely some residual demand from people trying to return home from school, leisure, business trips, etc. Once we are down to mostly only essential travel, you can imagine many empty flights.

Stgermainparis

I proactively canceled two April trips and wish I’d waited for WN to cancel so I would have refund instead of credit. Now I’ll just sit on some May tix that I can no longer use (meeting cancelled) with the hope that they will refund. I had not yet gotten reimbursed for those from work and now work is slashing travel budget and in chaos so I am just going to eat these if I have to. Not expensive but a refund would be nice.

kaszeta

Yeah, I'm sitting on tickets for a long AZ trip in May (nominally for a backpacking trip in the Grand Canyon that probably won't be happening at the rate things are going).

It's already been 4 rounds of automatic itinerary "Changes to your upcoming Trip" emails. I'm guessing at some point soon it will either get canceled outright or I'll have to reschedule.

lougord99

I read an article that many flights can break even with no passengers just carrying the US mail.

joshua362

I know FEDEX carries most of the USPS Priority Mail packages, they do an amazing job. I can send a package out Friday afternoon and it will go coast to coast and be out for delivery first thing Monday morning 3000 miles away. consistently.

tusphotog

Airports will not be shut down. They're on the list of critical infrastructure, and even Pennsylvania, which has the strictest restrictions in place won't shut down PIT/PHL etc.

Besides, cargo planes are still flying, as are biz jets (a biz jet pilot friend of mine says he's busier than ever these days). Anecdotally, I've noticed an increase in biz jet traffic to Scottsdale and a reduction into Sky Harbor--my house is near a downwind fix for PHX and an approach fix for SDL.

Often1

If WN cancels your flight, it will be refunded to your original form of payment. Thus, you will have a credit for the VDB amount and a refund for any cash.

I would not depart for any location without having a clear plan for return in mind. Within the CONUS this is, at worst, a few days' drive time. But, do not presume that WN will fly your return or that there will be any alternative on another air carrier.

This is also a good time to sit down and carefully review all travel-related insurance you have. Read the policies word-for-word and make sure they cover what you have always thought they did.

NoStressHere

Maybe... or maybe semantics.

If they do cancel all passenger flights, there will be no need to allow people into the airport proper. No flights = no boarding passes = no people to screen. So, even though the airport might be doing private jets and cargo, the airport as most people know will be closed. Of course, as along as there are passenger flights, then the airport will be open. That decision is open to debate and changes of course.