December 22 1,200 delays on Southwest
Dec 23, 2023, 4:23 pm
#1
Original Poster
Join Date: Dec 2023
Posts: 1
December 22 1,200 delays on Southwest
Any news on why Southwest suddenly had over 1200 delayed flights yesterday? My son would have missed his connection due to delays so switched to another airline. No news at all about this? Strange.
Dec 23, 2023, 5:17 pm
#2
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Nov 2000
Location: Nashville -Past DL Plat, FO, WN-CP, various hotel programs
Programs: DL-MM, AA, SW w/companion,HiltonDiamond, Hyatt PLat, IHF Plat, Miles and Points Seeker
Posts: 11,073
Dec 23, 2023, 8:27 pm
#3
Join Date: Nov 2009
Location: PHX
Programs: Delta 2M DM, Southwest A List and CP
Posts: 1,102
Today is another day where 25% of Southwest's flights are delayed. On days like today they schedule extra flights and that takes away their cushion. Then when the weather does not cooperate or when they have a maintenance issue, any delays of a particular plane early in the day will continue throughout the day. Just a consequence of Southwest's business model. On the bright side: few cancellations, so all is good.
Dec 24, 2023, 9:49 am
#4
Join Date: Aug 2007
Posts: 517
View from the Wing reported that fog was below FAA minimums, so planes could not land at MDW which is WNs 4th busiest airport. I am sure that had knock-on affects to other airports in the network. WN had 177 cancelations out of 4313 flights on Saturday and 53 out of 4242 flights so far for Sunday.
Dec 24, 2023, 10:48 am
#5
Join Date: Nov 2010
Location: Baltimore, MD USA
Programs: Southwest Rapid Rewards. Tha... that's about it.
Posts: 4,332
Probably weather. Looking at the national weather radar, I see a line of significant precipitation bisecting the country from Louisiana to Minnesota.
Dec 24, 2023, 11:25 am
#6
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Nov 2000
Location: Nashville -Past DL Plat, FO, WN-CP, various hotel programs
Programs: DL-MM, AA, SW w/companion,HiltonDiamond, Hyatt PLat, IHF Plat, Miles and Points Seeker
Posts: 11,073
For what it is worth,
SWA cancelled 2% of flights on Saturday.
SWA cancelled less than a half percent on Friday - same on Thursday
As of early afternoon on Sunday, at 1%.
SWA cancelled 2% of flights on Saturday.
SWA cancelled less than a half percent on Friday - same on Thursday
As of early afternoon on Sunday, at 1%.
Dec 24, 2023, 8:39 pm
#9
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Dec 2002
Location: Danville, CA, USA;
Programs: UA 1MM, WN CP, Marriott LT Plat, Hilton Gold, IC Plat
Posts: 15,722
Another major fail during the busy holiday season - this time at MDW due to fog.
https://www.wsj.com/business/airline...hare_permalink
How does WN not plan for these contingencies?
There is fog all the time at SFO and we all get used to dealing with the resultant delays ... including the airlines.
The Dallas-based airline had canceled 270 flights as of Sunday night, according to FlightAware, a flight tracking service—about 6% of what it had planned to operate that day. More than a quarter of its flights had been delayed. Altogether, more than 300 U.S. flights had been canceled as of Sunday evening.
***MORE
https://www.wsj.com/business/airline...hare_permalink
How does WN not plan for these contingencies?
There is fog all the time at SFO and we all get used to dealing with the resultant delays ... including the airlines.
Southwest Cancellations Mount at Chicago’s Midway Because of Fog
The airline scrubbed more flights for Christmas Day as it deployed new strategy to deal with weather-related fallout
Southwest Airlines canceled hundreds of flights Sunday and nixed scores more for Monday, as dense fog snarled operations at Chicago’s Midway International Airport, where Southwest is the main carrier. The woes prompted Southwest to deploy a new strategy for handling disruptions that it developed in the wake of more extreme holiday upheaval it endured last year.The Dallas-based airline had canceled 270 flights as of Sunday night, according to FlightAware, a flight tracking service—about 6% of what it had planned to operate that day. More than a quarter of its flights had been delayed. Altogether, more than 300 U.S. flights had been canceled as of Sunday evening.
***MORE
Dec 25, 2023, 4:21 am
#11
Join Date: Jan 2010
Location: ATL
Posts: 1,924
Send compensation requests due to fog to: [email protected]
Dec 25, 2023, 11:59 am
#12
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Jan 2005
Location: home = LAX
Posts: 25,933
Another major fail during the busy holiday season - this time at MDW due to fog.
https://www.wsj.com/business/airline...hare_permalink
How does WN not plan for these contingencies?
There is fog all the time at SFO and we all get used to dealing with the resultant delays ... including the airlines.
https://www.wsj.com/business/airline...hare_permalink
How does WN not plan for these contingencies?
There is fog all the time at SFO and we all get used to dealing with the resultant delays ... including the airlines.
[size=13px]
[/size]
I wouldn't say it's a "major" fail, it's more like a "moderate" fail this time.Keep in mind, a cancellation is a cancellation, but IIRC anything more than 15 minutes after the scheduled gate departure time is considered a "delay". So not all delays are equal, even though most cancellations are equal.
Also, fog is super common at SFO, are you sure it's that common at MDW? I keep hearing about how common fog is at SFO on national news, but all I ever hear weather-wise about MDW on national news is snow, not fog.
Dec 25, 2023, 12:35 pm
#13
Join Date: Sep 2002
Location: Blue Ridge, GA
Posts: 5,512
Low ceilings also delay ops at DCA with runway lengths close to MDW. They're 2,100 ft longer at SFO.
Dec 25, 2023, 1:55 pm
#15
Join Date: Mar 2011
Location: Window Seat
Programs: National Executive, HHonors Gold, IHG Platinum, Hyatt Visitor
Posts: 2,495
Great, what I want to know is when do we get another 30% off promo? $39 fare sale?
Roll the dice... travel on Southwest on Tuesday or Wednesday during slow times of year.
I was driving late the other night in a remote area and came into a patch of fog. There wasn't any other traffic. It was pretty scary. Luckily it only lasted 7-8 minutes and I slowed way down. It is odd as I had never encountered fog there before, but it happens.
Roll the dice... travel on Southwest on Tuesday or Wednesday during slow times of year.
I was driving late the other night in a remote area and came into a patch of fog. There wasn't any other traffic. It was pretty scary. Luckily it only lasted 7-8 minutes and I slowed way down. It is odd as I had never encountered fog there before, but it happens.