Southwest cancelled our flight with less than 12 hours. 😡

[Redart59]

We are seeing this all over the world. Covid is almost certainly responsible for this. Not much any airline can do if a number of staff call in sick. Hopefully things will get back to normal soon.

We will have to agree to disagree.

Leaving People stranded in another state without their luggage or even telling them that they cancelled their flight has nothing to do with Covid.

Just horrible customer service.

 

[McCrae]

We will have to agree to disagree.

Leaving People stranded in another state without their luggage or even telling them that they cancelled their flight has nothing to do with Covid.

Just horrible customer service.

Totally agree the service you received was awful. What I am saying is that all across the world similar experiences are happening. The common theme is staff shortages. This doesn’t excuse your experience, but Covid is the reason you and thousands of others have had problems with flights.

 

[Thumper99]

Totally agree the service you received was awful. What I am saying is that all across the world similar experiences are happening. The common theme is staff shortages. This doesn’t excuse your experience, but Covid is the reason you and thousands of others have had problems with flights.

Actually that is not what happened in this case. SWA did a maintenance update and it failed. Lots of flights were affected by this due to various reasons, particularly with the "weight system" on the planes. Blaming Covid is getting old. There isn't an wasn't some kind of outbreak in the US during this timing. I know the last time this happened on this level it was more about the pilots/staff making a stand against vaccine/booster+++ mandates. I am the OP and I only got $200 voucher for my flight being cancelled and having to drive. They did give us back all our points but we still had to drive. My sister kept calling and complaining and she got more that $550 Each for her and her husband. AND she did fly back. I guess the squeaky persistent person does get some more money.

 

[JLemaire7]

Actually that is not what happened in this case. SWA did a maintenance update and it failed. Lots of flights were affected by this due to various reasons, particularly with the "weight system" on the planes. Blaming Covid is getting old. There isn't an wasn't some kind of outbreak in the US during this timing. I know the last time this happened on this level it was more about the pilots/staff making a stand against vaccine/booster+++ mandates. I am the OP and I only got $200 voucher for my flight being cancelled and having to drive. They did give us back all our points but we still had to drive. My sister kept calling and complaining and she got more that $550 Each for her and her husband. AND she did fly back. I guess the squeaky persistent person does get some more money.

I don’t think it’s so much that too many airline staff are calling out because of Covid…it’s more that all of the airlines are very understaffed and can’t hire new staff quick enough. So if something happens like a computer glitch or bad weather, flights may get canceled and there isn’t much the airlines can do to reaccomodate passengers quickly especially if this happens during a peak time such as the holidays or spring break. Less staff = less flight. I do think that all of this can be blamed indirectly on Covid. It’s all the effects of the pandemic unfortunately.

 

[Disturbia]

I don’t think it’s so much that too many airline staff are calling out because of Covid…it’s more that all of the airlines are very understaffed and can’t hire new staff quick enough. So if something happens like a computer glitch or bad weather, flights may get canceled and there isn’t much the airlines can do to reaccomodate passengers quickly especially if this happens during a peak time such as the holidays or spring break. Less staff = less flight. I do think that all of this can be blamed indirectly on Covid. It’s all the effects of the pandemic unfortunately.

So Spirit had cancelled our original 7 pm flight (nonstop) and booked us on a 10 am 1 connection flight. Fortunately we checked our email early so after a few hours on the phone we were able to change this to 5:25 pm (nonstop). This was about a month prior (so I had already booked dining).

Then the day of, they changed our flight from 5:25pm to 6:25 pm. I don’t know if MEARs adjusted pickup according to this but our Mears pickup time was 1:55 pm but they picked us up at 2:40 (arrived at airport at 3:15 pm-red flag?). While we were at the airport and dropping our bags off that’s when someone else told us our flight was cancelled (an hour and half prior to the flight as we neared the end of bag drop line (was an hour long)-we printed boarding passes and everything was ‘on schedule’. The notice was just a couple of hours (completely unacceptable) and the airport was packed everywhere. No one was flying out; they knew this in the morning.

The employees who were ushering us towards the bag line vs the cancellation line knew that it was a ruse but no one was informing any of us that all flights were cancelled. When you got to the end of the line that’s when they told people to go to the cancellation line!

This was Sat and the next available flight was Tuesday. We headed to the car rental line (took 2 hours, by the time we left the line was over 4 hours long). People slept at the airport and people who dropped off bags couldn’t find them. It wasn’t just one airline (17,000 were impacted). I don’t even know what international passengers did; we at least had the option to drive (they have COVID testing requirements that would probably expire so that’s another mess)

I don’t see how this is just a staffing/COVID issue.

What everyone can learn from our experience is that if your flight is changed or cancelled, maybe that’s a red flag and pack your carry on bags just in case.

 

[Disturbia]

I just found this article, so it was a combination of things and Southwest was the most impacted

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/ar...flight-delays-weekend-cancellation-3-500.html

 

[JLemaire7]

So Spirit had cancelled our original 7 pm flight (nonstop) and booked us on a 10 am 1 connection flight. Fortunately we checked our email early so after a few hours on the phone we were able to change this to 5:25 pm (nonstop). This was about a month prior (so I had already booked dining).

Then the day of, they changed our flight from 5:25pm to 6:25 pm. I don’t know if MEARs adjusted pickup according to this but our Mears pickup time was 1:55 pm but they picked us up at 2:40 (arrived at airport at 3:15 pm-red flag?). While we were at the airport and dropping our bags off that’s when someone else told us our flight was cancelled (an hour and half prior to the flight as we neared the end of bag drop line (was an hour long)-we printed boarding passes and everything was ‘on schedule’. The notice was just a couple of hours (completely unacceptable) and the airport was packed everywhere. No one was flying out; they knew this in the morning.

The employees who were ushering us towards the bag line vs the cancellation line knew that it was a ruse but no one was informing any of us that all flights were cancelled. When you got to the end of the line that’s when they told people to go to the cancellation line!

This was Sat and the next available flight was Tuesday. We headed to the car rental line (took 2 hours, by the time we left the line was over 4 hours long). People slept at the airport and people who dropped off bags couldn’t find them. It wasn’t just one airline (17,000 were impacted). I don’t even know what international passengers did; we at least had the option to drive (they have COVID testing requirements that would probably expire so that’s another mess)

I don’t see how this is just a staffing/COVID issue.

What everyone can learn from our experience is that if your flight is changed or cancelled, maybe that’s a red flag and pack your carry on bags just in case.

Sure it is. Airlines are creating ambitious schedules in advance thinking they’ll be staffed up and then closer to the flights they are cancelling and consolidating the schedule because they don’t have enough staff to accommodate the schedule. When your flight was canceled due to weather or whatever it was they could not book you on a new flight quickly or within a reasonable amount of time because lack of staff which equaled not as many flights. It sounds like this was during spring break and so it was likely made even worse by a busier time with more sold out flights and more people to have to rebook but still.

 

[McCrae]

So Spirit had cancelled our original 7 pm flight (nonstop) and booked us on a 10 am 1 connection flight. Fortunately we checked our email early so after a few hours on the phone we were able to change this to 5:25 pm (nonstop). This was about a month prior (so I had already booked dining).

Then the day of, they changed our flight from 5:25pm to 6:25 pm. I don’t know if MEARs adjusted pickup according to this but our Mears pickup time was 1:55 pm but they picked us up at 2:40 (arrived at airport at 3:15 pm-red flag?). While we were at the airport and dropping our bags off that’s when someone else told us our flight was cancelled (an hour and half prior to the flight as we neared the end of bag drop line (was an hour long)-we printed boarding passes and everything was ‘on schedule’. The notice was just a couple of hours (completely unacceptable) and the airport was packed everywhere. No one was flying out; they knew this in the morning.

The employees who were ushering us towards the bag line vs the cancellation line knew that it was a ruse but no one was informing any of us that all flights were cancelled. When you got to the end of the line that’s when they told people to go to the cancellation line!

This was Sat and the next available flight was Tuesday. We headed to the car rental line (took 2 hours, by the time we left the line was over 4 hours long). People slept at the airport and people who dropped off bags couldn’t find them. It wasn’t just one airline (17,000 were impacted). I don’t even know what international passengers did; we at least had the option to drive (they have COVID testing requirements that would probably expire so that’s another mess)

I don’t see how this is just a staffing/COVID issue.

What everyone can learn from our experience is that if your flight is changed or cancelled, maybe that’s a red flag and pack your carry on bags just in case.

Just to cheer you up further… you can expect atleast 12 more months of potential issues before things are normal. Covid has had a much bigger impact than you think and whilst things are opening up again…that doesn’t mean back to normal. Staff shortages are obvious…new staff will need to be trained and with air crew that is not a quick job. Even sourcing some food items remains a problem for Disney.

 

[Disturbia]

Sure it is. Airlines are creating ambitious schedules in advance thinking they’ll be staffed up and then closer to the flights they are cancelling and consolidating the schedule because they don’t have enough staff to accommodate the schedule. When your flight was canceled due to weather or whatever it was they could not book you on a new flight quickly or within a reasonable amount of time because lack of staff which equaled not as many flights. It sounds like this was during spring break and so it was likely made even worse by a busier time with more sold out flights and more people to have to rebook but still.

Shouldn’t the Dept. of Transportation be working to fix this. If it’s a one off thing that’s understandable, but it’s been happening repeatedly since last year.

 

[JLemaire7]

Shouldn’t the Dept. of Transportation be working to fix this. If it’s a one off thing that’s understandable, but it’s been happening repeatedly since last year.

It’s not the Department of Transportation’s job to fix this. The problem is the airlines laid off and gave early retirement packages to lots of flight attendants and pilots during the beginning of the pandemic. Congress gave stimulus funds so that the airlines could ramp up again quickly when traveling became safer and they wouldn’t have to lay off staff. The problem is that the airlines still did lay off staff and then travel came back much faster than predicted. And like a previous poster said airline jobs are highly skilled and so you can’t onboard and hire people quickly.

 

[Disturbia]

Sure it is. Airlines are creating ambitious schedules in advance thinking they’ll be staffed up and then closer to the flights they are cancelling and consolidating the schedule because they don’t have enough staff to accommodate the schedule. When your flight was canceled due to weather or whatever it was they could not book you on a new flight quickly or within a reasonable amount of time because lack of staff which equaled not as many flights. It sounds like this was during spring break and so it was likely made even worse by a busier time with more sold out flights and more people to have to rebook but still.

Yes it was April 2nd (Saturday; we arrived home at 4 am on April 4th).

 

[JLemaire7]

Yes it was April 2nd (Saturday; we arrived home at 4 am on April 4th).

My husband traveled over the weekend and got caught up in the delays at SeaTac due to Air Force One departing late on Friday afternoon and he was lucky he was able to be reaccomodated in enough time where it made sense for him to continue his trip. But things happen and this lack of staffing makes it so that there isn’t much that can be done if something goes wrong with the airlines. We are next scheduled to travel by plane MDW and I am very worried about something going wrong.

You are right that this has gone on for a long time and it’s getting old quickly. We don’t have kids so we can travel during off peak times but anything can go wrong at any time and I really feel for large families trying to find 5 or 6 or more open seats on a flight when flights get canceled. It can’t be easy.

 

[Disturbia]

Do keep us all posted here. I have family traveling from Canada and I don’t know what to tell them.

So far, I’ve told them avoid Memorial Day weekend, book refundable, book weekdays, check flight status before dropping bags

 

[Princesca]

It sounds like airlines have tightened their supply much like consumer goods have a much more tightened supply chain than they did two decades ago. Goods are not meant to sit undistributed for long (and passenger seats not meant to be empty). Nobody keeps a 'just in case' stock of goods, or seats, anymore. We saw the problems this caused in COVID, when manufacturing took a huge hit and shelves everywhere were empty, goods have gotten much more expensive, there's shortages across categories. It's the same thing with airlines, I think. High-throughput distribution succeeds on the premise that everything is flowing through the goods cycle smoothly, without extenuating factors. But throw in one extenuating factor, and the whole thing implodes. There's no wiggle room anymore.

 

[keishashadow]

Airlines are creating ambitious schedules in advance thinking they’ll be staffed up and then closer to the flights they are cancelling and consolidating the schedule because they don’t have enough staff to accommodate the schedule.

cynic in me has mused whether the budget airlines sometimes decide to cancel not quite so profitable flights that were booked at much lower average prices than we are seeing now. As in if they are going to burn their contracted fuel, they want to get the biggest bang for it.

I get that concept, however, with spirit & allegiant you often only have flights once a day, if not only a few days a week. Can play havoc.

Spirit did cancel all flights into TPA two months out before our end of June/July trip. least they gave me two months to scramble to rebook flights, car etc. it’s been two weeks, still don’t see my cancellation credit They had sent out email offering a bonus of $50 to add to a credit, not sure if per reservation or person…no thank you.

Really not happy to be driving down to Treasure Island from MCO after a 5 am flight. Going to be a long day. It was that or getting in around 9 pm at night into TPA using SWA. Sure wasn’t about to loose a beach day. No way will I book at connecting flight with all the issues we’ve experienced over the last few years flying.

 

[Disturbia]

It sounds like airlines have tightened their supply much like consumer goods have a much more tightened supply chain than they did two decades ago. Goods are not meant to sit undistributed for long (and passenger seats not meant to be empty). Nobody keeps a 'just in case' stock of goods, or seats, anymore. We saw the problems this caused in COVID, when manufacturing took a huge hit and shelves everywhere were empty, goods have gotten much more expensive, there's shortages across categories. It's the same thing with airlines, I think. High-throughput distribution succeeds on the premise that everything is flowing through the goods cycle smoothly, without extenuating factors. But throw in one extenuating factor, and the whole thing implodes. There's no wiggle room anymore.

Goods in a warehouse and an angry mob of travelers with young kids sleeping on the airport floor are two different things. There are so many things that could go wrong and this should not happen unless it was a one off major event (say a system wide shutdown). Communication is a essential. We exited with a car before that 4 hour line was going to be told there are no more cars left. Flights were still printing boarding passes at 5 pm (we left the airport around 7:30 pm, so a little over 4 hours). People on later flights were being kept in the dark and left stranded.

You had to be there in the midst of it to understand how bad it was. The hotel we got in Georgia (Voldosta) was overwhelmed (one person taking orders for an entire hotel; no spoons plates cups to be found at the buffet). Angry guests storming out; some exhausted guests who slept in the parking lot checking in. There were dirty diapers and trash in the parking lot from people having slept in their cars.

 

[Princesca]

Goods in a warehouse and an angry mob of travelers with young kids sleeping on the airport floor are two different things. There are so many things that could go wrong and this should not happen unless it was a one off major event (say a system wide shutdown). Communication is a essential. We exited with a car before that 4 hour line was going to be told there are no more cars left. Flights were still printing boarding passes at 5 pm (we left the airport around 7:30 pm, so a little over 4 hours). People on later flights were being kept in the dark and left stranded.

You had to be there in the midst of it to understand how bad it was. The hotel we got in Georgia (Voldosta) was overwhelmed (one person taking orders for an entire hotel; no spoons plates cups to be found at the buffet). Angry guests storming out; some exhausted guests who slept in the parking lot checking in. There were dirty diapers and trash in the parking lot from people having slept in their cars.

Believe me, I am not siding with the airlines on this. I'm just saying it's really not surprising. Like Disney is doing, companies want to maximize profits (and shareholder returns) even at the cost of customer satisfaction. It seems to be the way of things now. Hopefully with enough sustained backlash, some kind of balance will be restored, but I'm not super optimistic that it will be anytime soon.