Thousands of flights, together with these out of and into the Orange County airports in Florida and California that serve Walt Disney World and Disneyland, are getting cancelled. This comes as Southwest Airlines is experiencing a meltdown attributable to a combination of winter climate and different points, leaving vacationers stranded coast to coast.
Part of this information is unsurprising, and will have been written about any airport within the nation. Over 17,000 flights all through the United States had been cancelled between final Wednesday and Christmas, in response to flight-tracking platform FlightConscious. This was primarily attributable to extreme winter climate throughout a lot of the United States, which introduced snow, ice, excessive winds and bitter chilly across the nation, grounding flights from coast to coast.
Given the size and scope of the winter climate–and the truth that a lot of you might be probably residing via it–flight delays and cancellations are to be anticipated. In addition to excessive climate, there have been staffing shortages–additionally not an enormous shock provided that it’s one of many peak seasonal illness occasions. The attention-grabbing and unlucky aspect of this story is Southwest’s systemic collapse.
Southwest Airlines canceled one other 2,500 flights on December 27, 2022 and warned that mass disruptions will proceed all through the week, a transfer that comes as different airways are beginning to stabilize and enhance operations following a tricky few days within the lead-up to Christmas.
By distinction, Southwest has stood out for its ongoing–and worsening–disruptions. On Monday, Southwest cancelled 70% of its schedule and stated it plans to fly about solely one-third of its schedule “for the next several days” in an effort to recuperate its collapsing operations. Meanwhile on Monday, Delta Airlines canceled 9% of its home flights, United dropped 5%, and American reduce lower than 1% of its flights. To the extent of those legacy provider cancellations, most had been attributable to an airport closure in Buffalo, New York attributable to a winter storm.
Southwest, then again, is preemptively slashing its schedule in an try and “reset” its operations, getting planes and crews to the place they’re wanted. This method has left passengers stranded at airports for a number of days throughout one of many busiest journey intervals of the yr.
It’s additionally one of many worst potential occasions from a client perspective. Never thoughts being stranded someplace for New Year’s Eve, though that actually isn’t best. Those caught in Central Florida or Southern California (or nearly wherever, for that matter) can not merely e-book an affordable resort room whereas ready for his or her flight to be rescheduled. Hotel occupancy is extremely excessive proper now, and costs are at peak season highs. Those needing to increase a keep at Walt Disney World or Disneyland might need no such luck in doing so–or is perhaps met with astronomical nightly charges.
Reports and video from on the bottom at Orlando International Airport (MCO) paint a grim image. Lengthy strains (a colossal understatement) for customer support, packed seating areas with passengers camped out for the lengthy haul, and overwhelmed brokers.
Fox 35 Orlando‘s Amy Kaufeldt reported that Southwest Airlines announced over the PA system at MCO that if you have a cancelled flight, they won’t be capable to get you out till New Year’s Eve on the earliest. It’s at present Tuesday–Saturday is a number of days away.
None of that is hyperbole, related solely to a small minority of vacationers who’ve the misfortune of their flights being cancelled. Orlando is an working base for Southwest, and it’s far and away the biggest provider at MCO by quantity. Intuitively, this is sensible–Southwest is among the most beloved airways amongst households, and MCO is the gateway to Walt Disney World.
Thus far on Tuesday, over 70% of Southwest’s flights into and out of MCO have been cancelled. (The day remains to be younger.) There isn’t any obvious sample to the cities with flights being cancelled–they’re pretty evenly distributed all through the nation.
If it’s potential, the scenario is someway worse in Southern California. KTLA is reporting that Southwest has canceled all departing flights from Los Angeles space airports till December 31, 2022. This contains Los Angeles International (LAX), Hollywood Burbank (BUR), Ontario (ONT), Long Beach (LGB), and the John Wayne Airport (SNA). The scenario is comparable in San Diego.
Per KTLA, it’s unclear if arriving Southern California flights had been additionally affected. However, we have now (had) household flying into SNA from Indianapolis, and so they’re flight from Dallas was cancelled, with no choices to rebook till January 1, 2023. If that’s the case for Southwest’s predominant hub to LAX (maybe the best-case pairing of airports for availability), it’s onerous to think about that the scenario is significantly better for different routes.
As with MCO, Southwest is way and away the biggest provider at SNA, the opposite Orange County’s airport that serves because the gateway to Disneyland. Given the above, many vacationers have reportedly opted to hire vehicles and try driving residence–or to different airports exterior of Southern California.
Southwest has a warning on its web site indicating that its cellphone system may be very busy attributable to excessive demand and the airline is experiencing “irregular operations.” Customers are suggested to make use of the self-service instruments to cancel or rebook, however from what we’ve seen firsthand and heard, these will not be all the time working.
Southwest has additionally suggested that a system-wide waiver on adjustments and cancellations is in place via January 2, 2023. Southwest can be requesting that those that don’t have journey plans within the subsequent 72 hours not name presently. According to the airline, this is because of Winter Storm Elliott. However, blaming the climate doesn’t actually move the scent check at this level. When American Airlines (hardly an exemplar of the aviation trade) is doing simply superb on that entrance, you already know issues are uniquely dangerous for Southwest.
According to a number of experiences from staff on social media, the Southwest Airlines meltdown is essentially being pushed by antiquated crew scheduling software program. The system assumes the situation of every crew member primarily based on an automatic stream, reasonably than really working with real-time location information. In the occasion of a flight disruption, crew members name Southwest’s scheduling cellphone line and so they make handbook changes.
Due to the winter climate, Southwest has misplaced observe of just about each flight crew member. The solely strategy to resolve that is for every to individually name scheduling to replace their real-time location. As with the customer support cellphone strains, the scheduling line is swamped, with crew members on maintain for numerous hours—or unable to get via, interval—making an attempt to replace their location.
While we clearly can not independently corroborate this, there have been a number of experiences from flight attendants and pilots on the Southwest and aviation subreddits, in addition to Twitter. This would definitely clarify why Southwest is nonetheless cancelling flights, in addition to why the issue has gotten worse after the winter climate, and why the “reset” is required.
Southwest’s operational collapse is already drawing scrutiny from the U.S. Department of Transportation as different airways have recovered from extreme winter climate. “USDOT is concerned by Southwest Airlines’ disproportionate and unacceptable rate of cancellations and delays, as well as the failure to properly support customers experiencing a cancellation or delay,” the division stated in an announcement.
“As more information becomes available, the department will closely examine whether cancellations were controllable and whether Southwest is complying with its customer service plan, as well as all other pertinent DOT rules.”
While some is perhaps apprehensive about authorities involvement, it’s price noting that many different nations provide higher client protections for vacationers. It’s hardly a brand new or novel thought. Almost throughout the board, our experiences with worldwide carriers–even some finances ones–have been higher than home carriers. Delta is way and away our favourite U.S. airline, but it surely’s mediocre by worldwide requirements.
Southwest additionally launched the next assertion:
With consecutive days of maximum winter climate throughout our community behind us, persevering with challenges are impacting our Customers and Employees in a big manner that’s unacceptable. And our heartfelt apologies for this are simply starting.
We’re working with Safety on the forefront to urgently deal with wide-scale disruption by rebalancing the airline and repositioning Crews and our fleet in the end to finest serve all who plan to journey with us.
We had been absolutely staffed and ready for the approaching vacation weekend when the extreme climate swept throughout the continent, the place Southwest is the biggest provider in 23 of the highest 25 journey markets within the U.S. These operational situations compelled day by day adjustments to our flight schedule at a quantity and magnitude that also has the instruments our groups use to recuperate the airline working at capability.
This safety-first work is intentional, ongoing, and essential to return to regular reliability, one which minimizes last-minute inconveniences. As we proceed the work to recuperate our operation, we have now made the choice to proceed working a lowered schedule by flying roughly one third of our schedule for the following a number of days. And we’re working to succeed in Customers whose journey plans will change to supply particular data and obtainable choices, additionally obtainable at Southwest.com/traveldisruption.
Our Employees and Crews scheduled to work this vacation season are displaying up in each single manner. We are past grateful for that. Our shared purpose is to deal with each single Customer with the Hospitality and Heart for which we’re identified.
On the opposite facet of this, we’ll work to make issues proper for these we’ve let down, together with our Employees. With no concern increased than final Safety, the People of Southwest share a purpose to deal with each Customer. We acknowledge falling brief and sincerely apologize.
This assertion talks a great sport, however rings hole. For one factor, it emphasizes security a number of occasions, and it’s unclear how that’s actually related at this level. Are they suggesting that it’s unsafe to fly within the aftermath of the winter storm? Should we be thanking Southwest that they aren’t following the lead of Delta, United, and American in not cancelling their flights?! If something, I might suppose the higher threat this time of yr is being crammed into an airport with different vacationers, a few of whom are nearly actually sick.
Second, this and Southwest’s consumer-facing web site nonetheless put a lot of the blame on winter climate, which is probably going a method to keep away from paying for the resorts and meals of stranded vacationers. Again, different carriers are again to regular at this level–it’s not like there are snow clouds parked over Southwest’s planes.
This isn’t the primary and even second time within the final year-plus that Southwest has skilled points that had been disproportionate to different airways. In Fall 2021, the airline had a 4-day meltdown that prompted in vital delays and cancellations, and resulted in a $75 million income hit. Another round this similar time final yr additionally left Southwest scrambling to recuperate operations at the same time as different airways had stabilized.
On different prior events, Southwest initially blamed the climate earlier than shifting to a different formidable foe: expertise. Its laptop, cellphone, and ageing useful resource administration methods have all acquired their share of the blame. This would possibly lead one to surprise: why hasn’t this been mounted if it’s a identified downside?
If the issue is within the midst of being addressed, why not use stopgap measures to construct further slack into the system? At the very least, why not make interline and codeshare agreements with different carriers to mitigate the danger of future meltdowns?
Ultimately, we have now nothing in opposition to Southwest and nonetheless use the airline infrequently when it has considerably cheaper airfare than Delta or United (our most popular home carriers). With that stated, I might not fly Southwest throughout any near-peak journey time, and definitely not round main holidays like Christmas, New Year’s Eve, Thanksgiving, and so on. They have demonstrated time and time once more a willingness to push their system to its breaking level, and an unwillingness to take measures to mitigate the fallout from such situations.
When there’s bandwidth within the system and operations are regular, Southwest is an effective airline. It’s completely comprehensible why so many households adore it. Conversely, when it’s dangerous, it’s actually dangerous. These will not be issues that vacationers, particularly educated ones, flying with the legacy carriers have (see What to Do If Your Flight is Cancelled? for our restoration recommendation). To make sure, we’ve had points over time with Delta and United, however have seldom been stranded one night time–normally, we’re rebooked inside a matter of hours on one other airline when worst involves worst.
One piece of recommendation we’ll provide right here for those who’re impacted by the Southwest meltdown is to be well mannered to the corporate’s staff. The gate agent or customer support rep with whom you’re talking nearly actually didn’t make the choice to cancel flights, nor have they got any management over the outdated expertise the corporate makes use of. Many of those staff have been pushed to their breaking level, and being impolite solely makes the scenario worse. On a extra fundamental stage, it’s all the time finest to err on the facet of courtesy and compassion, even when the circumstances are totally maddening.
That’s to not say the Southwest’s complete collapse throughout peak vacation journey is appropriate. It completely isn’t. This mustn’t have occurred as soon as, not to mention a number of occasions within the final year-plus. I’m certain many individuals who will defend Southwest with their optimistic experiences, and the corporate’s observe document remains to be robust more often than not. However, I’m additionally certain for those who polled solely these caught at MCO or SNA right now–individuals who gained’t be capable to get residence till a number of days from now on the earliest–there could be a excessive proportion who won’t ever fly Southwest once more. To every their very own, however this sort of factor is going on with Southwest far too typically for my liking. They aren’t there but, however they’re near getting into Frontier or Spirit territory as one other airline we gained’t fly.
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YOUR THOUGHTS
Are you impacted by Southwest’s meltdown? Any experiences ‘on the ground’ at MCO, SNA, or different airports to share? Have you skilled any flight cancellations or noteworthy delays whereas touring throughout the vacation season or when there’s winter climate? What’s your technique to cut back the probability of journey disruptions? Any different ideas or anecdotal recommendation/experiences for addressing and overcoming cancellations that may come up? Do you agree or disagree with our recommendation? Any questions we might help you reply? Hearing your suggestions–even if you disagree with us–is each attention-grabbing to us and useful to different readers, so please share your ideas beneath within the feedback!