Travel nightmare: Southwest cancellations impact local passengers
COLONIE, N.Y. (NEWS10) - As the busy holiday travel period continues, it hasn't been without issues. One of the nation's largest carriers, Southwest Airlines, continues to see mass cancellations across the country, impacting many passengers, including in the Capital Region.
On Tuesday, a multitude of Southwest flights departing and arriving in Albany were canceled. Inside the main terminal building Tuesday morning, dozens of passengers were waiting in a long line hoping to get answers for when they can reach their destinations.
"I’m hoping to get there sometime this week, even if it’s on another airline," said Stephanie Poris, who was trying to fly to Florida on Southwest.
Southwest has been plagued by cancellations the last few days, with more than 70% of flights canceled on Monday and over 60% Tuesday, with additional disruptions anticipated over the next several days.
Many came to Albany Airport Tuesday to speak with an airline representative directly to try to get rebooked on a later flight.
"I actually called earlier this morning and they told me my best bet would be to actually go to the airport," Poris said, later trying to rebook her flight to the Sunshine State on another airline.
Others, including Dorita Nobles, have to wait days until they can return home. She is visiting family for the holidays and was supposed to fly out of Albany Monday, instead, she'll be in the area until at least January 2nd.
She said she spent hours at the airport Monday before her flight was ultimately canceled. Now in the area through the new year, she'll make the most of her extended time with family, "We have two little grandkids, so we’re enjoying our time with them."
But the nationwide cancellations are causing others to miss out on a great opportunity.
"The earliest they can get us down there is January 4th, but there’s no tournament January 4th, so there’s no point in us doing that," said Allison Coleman, the Head Coach of the Russell Sage Women's Basketball team.
The team was supposed to travel to the tournament in Puerto Rico Tuesday morning. After their flight was canceled, they couldn't find an alternative way of getting to the island from other airports, canceling their matchups.
"We’ve been planning this for about a year now, and us being Division III, no scholarships, we fundraise everything," the coach said, adding she feels for the seniors who have already had their experiences impacted by the pandemic.
During a press conference Monday in Houston, a spokesperson for Southwest said the airline is seeing disruptions from the impacts of the latest winter storm, which wreaked havoc across different areas of the country.
"That has kind of moved on to include some challenges with our flight crews, being stuck in locations not where they need to be, along with the aircraft. At this point, we’re working to accommodate our customers as best we can," said Jay McVay, a spokesman for the airline.
As many still search for ways to complete their travel, the US Department of Transportation said they were concerned over the "unacceptable rate" of cancellations, in part, "The Department will examine whether cancellations were controllable and if Southwest is complying with its customer service plan."
Impacted passengers who spoke with News10 say they were given $200 vouchers as well as refunds for their canceled flights.