Is Southwest cancelling 20,000 flights this summer? UPDATED.

[Threehearts]

I was doing my daily check of my investment accounts and on multiple sites there is an announcement that SW will be cancelling 20K summer flights due to "pilot shortage."

UPDATE- this "news" is 10 days old. From doing even more research, it seems like significant cancellations will likely occur with a good many airlines but Southwest(my favorite) may lead the way.

I just checked my family's flights on SW from the Northeast. They have all been changed and mine are all changed as well.


Can anyone speak to the veracity of this news? I have a 7 summer flights on Southwest due to family weddings.

Thanks.

***I am not posting this message on the SWest sticky because the news that I saw said that they are expecting other airlines to follow.

 

[ocalla]

Gosh I sure hope that isn't correct! we have just booked a summer flight to Disney with them.....

 

[FCDub]

Every airline will be having issues at some point this summer.

 

[chaoskids]

I read that Delta is canceling 100 plus flights a day.

 

[keishashadow]

since outright cancellation of flights to MYR last August just over a day prior; all of my subsequent flights have either: changed departure time when sitting at the gate or been cancelled completely ahead of time, with a reassignment the same day.

I’m talking SWA, Spirit & Allegiant…the only airlines that have NS flights out of two local airports to MCO and most other places we frequent

It’s not totally unexpected, has been widely predicted since last year due to the staff being furloughed during height of pandemic. Doesn’t mean we have to like it.

At least they are now announcing it ahead of time (see prior whine lol). At least people can be prepared for possible changes or make plans to travel in some other fashion to their destinations. It was absolutely not fun to scramble to rebook our hotel & drive 10 - 13 hours in August vs a 1.5 hour flight.

 

[Threehearts]

I've found that the airlines haven't always notified me of the changes unless they were very significant. I only discovered the 8 SW flights being changed when I decided to look today. I think I'll check more frequently than I have been.

 

[keishashadow]

I've found that the airlines haven't always notified me of the changes unless they were very significant. I only discovered the 8 SW flights being changed when I decided to look today. I think I'll check more frequently than I have been.

many say they don’t get the notices. Haven’t had that issue, knock on wood!

could’ve landed in junk file. Might want to go into your profile and make sure contact info is correct and also add another phone number as a secondary contact for any possible same day issues.

 

[_19disnA]

I would prefer they adjust future schedules and be realistic about their staffing. While fewer flights probably means higher prices in addition to fewer travel options, rather know that now then the day I am traveling. Airlines have also gotten better at anticipating disruptions due to significant weather events. In the past they would end up with large numbers of people stranded at airports and planes out of position after the storm ended. While it might be an inconvenience, I would rather be stuck at home rather then some distant airport waiting on my connecting flight.

 

[shafke]

Due to our experiences on our last flight in April and subsequent news about cancellations we are driving to FL this August. At this time I have no faith whatsoever that any airline we would have chosen would get us either to or from our destination. All it seems to take at this time is one bad thunderstorm to come through at the wrong time to throw the airline schedules to chaos.

 

[saraheliz]

Ours both (SW) got changed- August flights. One way was changed in April (from mid-day direct to a layover and the only direct options were way early morning or late at night) and the other way was changed in May (to a later arrival in Orlando). The first change wasn't great but I sucked it up...the second change sent me over the edge and I called and they were able to change my originating airport to one that's 15 minutes farther away but we'd have direct flights at preferred times. I definitely do a search every couple of weeks still in case there's another change that ends up in my junk folder.

It's been all over the news for awhile so I knew to keep an eye out.

 

[Narcoossee11]

The airlines should change their wording to ' THIS IS WHAT WE THINK YOUR FLIGHT WILL BE'.
It is the wild wild west out there.

 

[MinnieMSue]

since I started flying after things reopened after the first big covid surge I have checked my southwest flights daily. Every single day. At least once a day, sometimes twice. I have not had any changes to my last two trips (October 2021 and Feb 2022). I have not yet had changes to my planned august and october flights this year. Hopefully they don't change but I will stay on top of them until I am on the planes.

 

[keishashadow]

Murphy’s law…pricing out travel today, glanced at September travel on Spirit. no email notice received, they moved our arrival time by 6+ hour…later. Would never work within our plans for that day.

Quickly, got on chat and now coming in a day earlier. They cancelled all am flights into MCO for a larger period of time from PIT.

just 2 flights now, one late afternoon, the other in the evening, getting in early the next day!

definitely going to make a mental note to check all flights weekly now, jik. Fully do expect to see things switch again. Not thrilled I had to add a day onto the beginning of the trip, glad they resort did have a room available, just not the type I had originally booked.

 

[Lsdolphin]

I don’t know about canceling flights but SWA sure raised their prices today. My $59 flight from BWI to MCO for 9/5 is now $163 and my “Business Select” flight from MCO to BWI on 9/14 jumped from $133 to $283!