Southwest's Christmas 2022 meltdown - phones, chat shut down, RR points compensation
Dec 26, 2022, 3:24 pm
#16
Join Date: Oct 2010
Location: San Diego, Ca
Programs: AA 2MM LT PLT; AS MVP Gold75k; HHonors Diamond; IHG PLT
Posts: 3,502
With the exception of WN, cancellations systemwide are under 15% - already recovered, limited capacity to accommodate elites.
Dec 26, 2022, 3:40 pm
#18
Join Date: Feb 2000
Location: Pittsburgh
Programs: Whoever Has the Best Bonus
Posts: 5,183
Pretty crazy this time as I read 65% of their schedule is cancelled and them not interlining means basically no options for all those people (though I am sure the other airline flights are full too)
As others have said weather is a factor but southwest made it wayyy worse.
Edit: obviously just repeated what people up thread reported. Oops! Scrolled down too fast. Can't easily delete on mobile
As others have said weather is a factor but southwest made it wayyy worse.
Edit: obviously just repeated what people up thread reported. Oops! Scrolled down too fast. Can't easily delete on mobile
Last edited by pitflyer; Dec 26, 2022 at 3:46 pm
Dec 26, 2022, 5:00 pm
#19
Join Date: Apr 2004
Location: BOS
Programs: Marriott LTG, HHonors Diamond, Nat'l Exec
Posts: 3,581
If FlightAware data is accurate, they've already canceled 40% of tomorrow's flights:
https://flightaware.com/live/cancelled/tomorrow
https://flightaware.com/live/cancelled/tomorrow
Dec 26, 2022, 5:01 pm
#20
Join Date: May 2005
Posts: 4,866
Dec 26, 2022, 5:01 pm
#21
Join Date: Feb 2008
Location: Independent! But mostly BKK, BCN, SFO, PDX, SEA...
Programs: Lawl COVID
Posts: 1,060
I no longer travel heavily for work, but the answer here is really simple. Southwest had many direct flights to the places I needed to go regularly from the place I lived in. No one else did. During the several years that Southwest was my primary airline, I personally experienced no major issues (nothing worse than I experienced with American or United as my primary). So given the choice of flying another airline that would require a stop for almost every flight, probably doubling (or more) my total travel time and increasing the opportunity for mishaps, or an airline that has had issues but none that ever actually caused me a problem, I didn't find it particularly hard to decide. Real impact on every single trip vs. hypothetical impact at some isolated point in the future.
I'm new to the Southwest gang, but I've spent nearly the whole year on Southwest flights because they flew where I wanted to go, in one flight, when I wanted to get there, nearly all the time. And, if you're on a BS fare they'll work to get you where you were trying to go. Flying has become so awful that the thought of having to change at a hub is just distressing and Southwest eliminated a lot of that. Of the 34 segments I've flown this year, 4 required a plane change. I'll take that all day and twice on Sunday.
I just hope they shake out the problems this week...I'm only 8,600 points shy of clinching Companion Pass with a points run on Wednesday!
Dec 26, 2022, 5:10 pm
#22
Join Date: May 2010
Posts: 3,458
Currently FlightAware shows 2687, which is 66% (!!!), of the Southwest flights cancelled for today. I don't think I have ever seen a meltdown of similar epic proportions since 2001. Other airlines are in the single digits with cancellation percentages for today, with the exception of Spirit (16%) and Alaska (14%).
wonder how this compares to that JetBlue meltdown a few years ago where they basically had to stop flying and reset. That’s only thing I can think that even comes close to this.
Dec 26, 2022, 5:26 pm
#23
Join Date: Feb 2006
Location: mci
Programs: aa
Posts: 669
https://twitter.com/MichaelDoudna/st...I52Roekm2Vf1GQ
PHX passengers being told to leave airport, no accommodation for them on rebooked flights for at least 4 days:
PHX passengers being told to leave airport, no accommodation for them on rebooked flights for at least 4 days:
Im supposed to fly INTO PHX on Friday.... hopefully things start getting cleared up by then!
Dec 26, 2022, 5:43 pm
#24
Join Date: May 2008
Location: NYC
Programs: DL PM; UA 1K; AA 1MM
Posts: 4,506
If FlightAware data is accurate, they've already canceled 40% of tomorrow's flights:
https://flightaware.com/live/cancelled/tomorrow
https://flightaware.com/live/cancelled/tomorrow
Dec 26, 2022, 5:45 pm
#25
Join Date: Nov 2009
Location: PHX
Programs: Delta 2M DM, Southwest A List and CP
Posts: 1,102
Dec 26, 2022, 6:45 pm
#26
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Feb 2003
Location: Denver, CO, USA
Programs: Sometimes known as [ARG:6 UNDEFINED]
Posts: 26,674
https://twitter.com/MichaelDoudna/st...I52Roekm2Vf1GQ
PHX passengers being told to leave airport, no accommodation for them on rebooked flights for at least 4 days:
PHX passengers being told to leave airport, no accommodation for them on rebooked flights for at least 4 days:
Dec 26, 2022, 7:02 pm
#27
Join Date: Jun 2006
Location: Chicago, Kailua-Kona, Cairns
Programs: UA 1K >2MM, IC Plat, Hilton Diamond, Marriott Gold
Posts: 740
With WN getting virtually the same fares as the "mainline" airlines, they have no excuse for such ham-handed mismanagement.
Dec 26, 2022, 7:15 pm
#29
Join Date: Dec 2002
Location: Denver, CO USA
Programs: UA GS 3Million, Marriott/SPG LIFETIME Platinum - current Titanium, HHonors Diamond
Posts: 633
Full disclosure, I only fly WN on a nonstop and then generally only as a same day purchase.
Dec 26, 2022, 7:17 pm
#30
Join Date: Dec 2002
Location: Denver, CO USA
Programs: UA GS 3Million, Marriott/SPG LIFETIME Platinum - current Titanium, HHonors Diamond
Posts: 633