By Antonio Planas -
NBC News
Most Southwest Airlines flights don't take off, and the frustration levels of dozens of travelers across the country are sky-high.
They've slept in airports, spent hours on the phone trying to reach a customer service agent, searched for alternate flights, and spent money on alternate transportation to get to their destination or back home.
Amid post-Christmas chaos and severe winter storms, the Dallas, Texas-based airline canceled nearly two-thirds of its flights on Tuesday, saying the disruptions likely won't end for several days.
Most other airlines have picked up pace since the storm, and the federal government has said it will investigate why Southwest is so far behind.
[Your flight was canceled during the winter storm? These tips can help you get to your destination faster]
“I definitely won't be flying Southwest again,” Tre Smith, 34, of West Valley City, Utah, said after spending hours stuck at the Las Vegas airport Monday.
Biden approves the declaration of emergency for areas affected by the winter storm
Dec 28, 202201:44
Smith, a high school basketball coach, was one of 19 travelers from his program who left Salt Lake City Monday for a tournament in Long Beach, California.
They tried to stop in Nevada, but the flight was canceled due to weather and personnel problems, he explained.
After eight hours at the airport, the team found hotel rooms for the night and rented four vehicles to try to get to Southern California in time for Tuesday's game.
[Buffalo families struggle to find food and necessities after winter storm hits]
“You should have seen the rental car queue, it was crazy,” Smith said.
“I try to be a positive person.
The boys are all together.
We are a team.
It's just been a bad situation.
My boys have done a really good job staying positive and going with the flow," she added.
"They got stuck"
Amanda Lara-Santos, 38, of Tomball, Texas, a suburb of Houston, explained that her family's travel problems began Thursday when her children, ages 22, 16 and 9, flew to Nashville, Tennessee. , to catch a connecting flight to LaGuardia Airport, in Queens, New York.
The children were stuck in Tennessee for hours after their connecting flight was cancelled.
“They got stuck,” Lara-Santos said.
“They were not offered any food or travel vouchers.
Nothing was offered to them as compensation, ”he lamented.
[These are the images left by the imposing storm that hit a good part of the country]
They arrived in New York at 3 p.m. Friday, nearly 24 hours after schedule, according to Lara-Santos.
But that was not all.
On Tuesday, she learned that her return flight for Thursday was not leaving, and the earliest she could book a return flight on Southwest was Sunday.
She said her eldest son will have to miss work and the family dog will have to stay longer in a kennel.
“It's a snowball effect for us.
This affects many things.
Its a lot of money.
I had to pay for those three [round-trip] flights out of pocket.
Now I'm frustrated and I need to, at some point, get in touch with Southwest,” she explained.
Experts remind customers to know their rights when their flights are canceled to keep costs down and possibly get some compensation.
The "sincere apologies have only just begun"
Southwest offered its "sincere apologies" to customers Tuesday.
“With back-to-back days of extreme winter weather across our network behind us, the continued challenges are impacting our customers and employees in a significant way that is unacceptable.
And our most sincere apologies for this have only just begun," they said in a statement Tuesday.
As of Tuesday afternoon, more than 2,600 flights, or 63% of Southwest's schedule, had been cancelled, according to the FlightAware flight tracking website.
A similar number of flights have been canceled for Wednesday, according to FlightAware.
A new winter storm will hit California for five days
Dec 27, 202201:21
More than 3,500 flights scheduled for Wednesday have already been cancelled, about 70% of which are Southwest, according to FlightAware.
American Airlines and Delta have announced that they have capped fares following issues that have left Southwest customers stranded.
[The highest parts of Mexico City were covered with snow due to a cold wave that affects the US]
American indicated in a tweet in response to a passenger that fares had been limited to certain cities.
A Delta spokesperson said it has capped fares in all markets Southwest serves, and the program is valid through Dec. 31.
"There is no way to return in 2022"
Marty Rusnak, 53, of Fort Worth, is one of thousands of frustrated travelers.
Last week he flew to Washington DC to spend the holidays with his family and on Tuesday he found out that his flight on Wednesday would not take off.
He couldn't find another seat on a Southwest flight to Dallas until Monday.
Rusnak spent Tuesday afternoon trying to get in touch with someone at the airline to try to fix his problem.
[These precautions help prevent fires when fighting low temperatures]
"I have already 26 call attempts," he said.
“There is literally no way to go back in 2022,” she noted.
Rusnak said he's lucky he doesn't have to shell out money for a hotel.
As backup, Rusnak said, he booked a flight for Friday on another airline, adding that it cost "a significant amount of money."
He has 24 hours to cancel that flight if he finds another on Southwest, noting that the booking airline will cost him.
“I have been a very loyal Southwest customer for more than 20 years,” Rusnak said.
“I am totally disappointed with the way they are handling this matter,” he added.
Ayla Erkan left Scottsdale, Arizona, last week with her 15-year-old daughter to spend the holidays with her family in Fairport, New York, near Rochester.
His return flight was scheduled for Thursday, but not anymore.
She now has a flight booked for January 3 and she will have to miss New Year's Eve with her boyfriend and having a party.
Erkan said the cancellation had her furious on Tuesday afternoon.
“I think an hour or two ago it was at ten.
Now I am at an eight, ”she declared.
But unlike other Southwest clients, she has loved ones she can lean on for housing.
“My situation is not as bad as that of others.
Luckily, I like my family,” Erkan said.
