People wait in the Southwest ticketing line at Harry Reid International Airport Tuesday, Dec. 27, 2022.
Wednesday, Dec. 28, 2022 | 2 a.m.
Reina Bravo is sitting at a table at Harry Reid International Airport with her devices charging.
The past few hours have featured a range of emotions for the Denver resident whose flight home was canceled by Southwest Airlines during a layover in Las Vegas.
She’s cried uncontrollably and then calmed down. She’s been mad and again calmed down.
Now, about 12 hours into what could be days of waiting, reality is sinking in: Her home for the next few days could be the Las Vegas airport.
Bravo is one of the thousands of travelers nationally affected by chaos at Southwest, which canceled more than 70% of its flights Monday and more than 60% Tuesday, part of the fallout from a massive winter storm that has hampered much of the country.
At 1 a.m. Tuesday, Southwest officials in Las Vegas informed Bravo during a layover that they were canceling the second leg of her trip home. And to make matters worse, they wouldn’t be able to accommodate her return trip until Friday.
“I just want to go home to be with my boyfriend and fur-babies,” said Bravo, who is traveling back from Maryland, where she spent Christmas.
Bravo said she asked for money for a hotel, but Southwest instead offered to put her on standby. And so she — and thousands of others — play the waiting game.
One look at the flight status board shows the many cancellations affecting travelers through Las Vegas. Those waiting can be spotted sleeping on the floor, in line at a restaurant or attempting to keep children occupied.
Many who work at the airport say it is only experiencing a fraction of the hardship felt by stranded travelers. For some, the crowd at Harry Reid mirrors a typical weekday.
Of the 2,890 flight cancellations in the U.S. early Tuesday, 2,522 were called off by Southwest.
Southwest spokesman Jay McVay said at a news conference in Houston that cancellations snowballed as storm systems moved across the country, leaving flight crews and planes out of place.
“So we’ve been chasing our tails, trying to catch up and get back to normal safely, which is our number one priority as quickly as we could,” he said. “And that’s exactly how we ended up where we are today.”
Passengers stood in long lines trying to rebook their flights.
Of the 334 canceled and 281 delayed flights at Denver International Airport as of 1 p.m. Tuesday, 306 of the canceled flights and 115 of the delayed flights were Southwest, according to the Denver Post. The result isn’t pretty, as there are 10,000 unattended bags waiting for owners in baggage claim.
The Department of Transportation said on Twitter that it was “concerned by Southwest’s unacceptable rate of cancellations and delays & reports of lack of prompt customer service.” The tweet said the department would look into whether Southwest could have done anything about the cancellations and whether the airline was complying with its customer service plan.
Ted Snyder of Hughson, Calif., was waiting in line Tuesday at Harry Reid International to speak with a Southwest agent. He was hoping to obtain a refund on a flight from Fresno, Calif., that was canceled last week.
Instead, he and his wife hitched a ride to Las Vegas with friends, but that became a 12-hour affair because of traffic as many others were forced to drive because of flight cancellations. They booked a return flight on another airline.
“No one called. No one texted me,” Snyder said. “We walked into the airport in Fresno, and they said ‘Your flight is canceled.’”
The lack of communication is what’s troublesome to travelers, Snyder said, as the system at Southwest has become overwhelmed.
“If you run a business, stuff happens and things get canceled,” he said. “But when stuff happens you need a plan to deal with the fallout. They don’t have a plan.”
Southwest CEO Bob Jordan told The Wall Street Journal that the airline would operate just over a third of its usual schedule to allow crews to get back to where they needed to be. They’ve already shelved 2,500 of flights nationally for Wednesday, including 290 into Denver — where Bravo desperately wants to get.
“We had a tough day today. In all likelihood we’ll have another tough day tomorrow as we work our way out of this,” he said Monday evening. “This is the largest scale event that I’ve ever seen.”
Staying calm — and knowing your rights — can go a long way if your flight is canceled, experts say.
If you still want to get to your destination, most airlines will rebook you for free on the next available flight as long as it has seats, according to the U.S. Department of Transportation.
If you want to cancel the trip, you are entitled to a full refund, even if you bought nonrefundable tickets. You’re also entitled to a refund of any bag fees, seat upgrades or other extras.
Kurt Ebenhoch, a consumer travel advocate and former airline executive, stresses that travelers are eligible for a refund, not just vouchers for future travel. If you do take a voucher, make sure you inquire about blackout dates and other restrictions on its use.
Airlines aren’t required to put you on another airline’s flight, but they can, and sometimes do, according to the Department of Transportation.
Jeff Klee, CEO of CheapAir.com, recommends researching alternate flights while you’re waiting to talk to an agent. Agents are typically under a lot of pressure when a flight is canceled, so giving them some options helps.
Ebenhoch also suggests looking for alternative airports that are close to your original destination.
Southwest urges customers trying to rebook their flight or request a refund to visit southwest.com/traveldisruption.
— The Associated Press contributed to this report.
