Yahoo News Southwest Airlines Customer Service Line Grows at Austin Airport
Travelers faced extensive delays at airports across the US as winter weather and mass cancellations caused widespread disruption following the holiday weekend.
Video posted to Twitter by @Eli_Siebersma shows the status of the line for Southwest Airlines customer service help at the Austin-Bergstrom International Airport on Monday, December 26.
According to FlightAware, 147 flights out of Austin had been canceled and 177 more were delayed on Tuesday; by 11 am on Wednesday, FlightAware had reported 127 canceled flights at Austin-Bergstrom International Airport.
In a video issued on Tuesday evening, Southwest CEO Bob Jordan said difficulties caused by cold weather had forced the company to cancel flights.
“Our network is highly complex and the operation of the airline counts on all the pieces, especially aircraft and crews, remaining in motion to where they’re planned to go,” Jordan said.
“We have some real work to do in making this right. For now, I want you to know that we’re committed to that,” Jordan said.
The US Department of Transportation said Secretary Pete Buttigieg had been in touch with Jordan and Southwest to “convey the Department’s expectation that Southwest meet its obligations to passengers and workers and take steps to prevent a situation like this from happening again.”
On December 28, Southwest canceled more than 2,500 of its flights nationwide, according to FlightAware. Credit: @Eli_Siebersma via Storyful
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