Southwest cancellations causes issues for those flying out of Austin
AUSTIN, Texas - Monday grounded to a halt for many travelers trying to fly out of Austin on Southwest Airlines. The airline continued to cancel flights today as it deals with a nationwide problem.
The problem started over the weekend with Southwest canceling more than a thousand flights since Friday, October 9.
Issues continued into this morning at Austin-Bergstrom International Airport as many people were trying to head home after the last weekend of the Austin City Limits Music Festival. About 20 flights were canceled and many travelers were left scrambling to rebook flights or find alternative ways to get home.
In a post on social media, Southwest officials blamed the cancelations on bad weather and an air traffic control problem. The pilots union also posted a denial that the problem was the result of an employee sick out to protest a federal vaccination mandate.
However, the FAA told FOX News their technical problems were corrected on Friday. It was also noted that the bad weather did not have a similar effect on other airlines. The excuses and accusations only fueled frustration. "I think it is important for airlines to be transparent. So whatever the reason is, let everybody know," said Pam Neves, who was leaving on vacation.
FOX 7 Austin received the following statement from the airline:
Southwest Airlines extends a tremendous apology to our Customers and Employees for the flight cancellations and delays which occurred over the weekend and on Monday.
On Friday evening, the airline ended the day with numerous cancellations, primarily created by weather and other external constraints, which left aircraft and Crews out of pre-planned positions to operate our schedule on Saturday. Unfortunately, the out-of-place aircraft and continued strain on our Crew resources created additional cancelations across our point-to-point network that cascaded throughout the weekend and into Monday.
While we do not have specific airport numbers to share, Southwest Teams have been working diligently to restore stability to the network, and we are experiencing less disruptions on Monday. We hope to restore our full schedule as soon as possible. As a note, the operational challenges were not a result of Southwest Employee demonstrations, as some outlets are reporting.
To every Customer that experienced a cancellation or delay, Southwest offers our sincerest regret regarding disrupted travel plans, and we look forward to a future opportunity to demonstrate our safe, reliable, friendly, and legendary Southwest Hospitality – something that Customers should always expect from Southwest Airlines.
If Customers require assistance from Southwest, they can utilize one of the airline’s self-service options for convenience or Contact Us via one of the methods listed on Southwest.com.
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MORE HEADLINES:
Southwest cancels hundreds of more flights Monday after weekend disruption
Southwest Airlines, FAA differ over cause for cancellations
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