MINNEAPOLIS — Thousands of travelers remain in limbo days after Christmas as flight cancellations and delays continue to plague cities across the country.
Southwest Airlines is reporting a majority of those flight disruptions and canceled more than 60% of its flights on Tuesday and Wednesday.
The airline has said catching up on the backlog after a massive winter storm is to blame.
A statement on Southwest's website says "Due to adverse weather events and their resulting effects, we are currently experiencing operational disruptions and are working diligently and safely to restore normal flight schedules as quickly as possible."
The airline is offering an extended waiver period as it works to get passengers rebooked on flights. Anyone traveling on Southwest through Jan. 2, 2023, is able to rebook in their original class of service or travel standby without paying extra charges. Click here for more information on rebooking Southwest flights.
At Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport Wednesday, nearly every inbound and outbound Southwest flight is canceled for a second day.
On Tuesday, a consistent line of people waited at the customer service kiosk, looking to have their ticket issues resolved in person. Many said they came after they were kept on hold for a long time on the phone or had difficulty reaching anything other than a busy signal.
"I was at work so I just hopped in my car and came over, got in line," Iyana Rice said. "I was on hold for like an hour and 25 minutes before I spoke to someone and basically they told me they couldn't help."
Rice said Southwest was able to put her on a different flight for her trip to New Orleans on Thursday. She said she is glad they were able to help her make it to her niece's wedding.
"I do appreciate it, and I understand that everything Southwest can't control-- but this is a lot," Rice said. "And I feel like in the future they need a backup plan, and just saying, 'Hey I'll cancel your tickets' is -- I don't think that's a fair resolution to all the customers."
Others haven't been so lucky. Several customers walked away from the kiosks, shaking their heads.
And for Shakhzoda Ikrova, an international student headed to Uzbekistan through a connection in New York, timing is everything, with her family wondering what is going on in the U.S.
"In the morning they are calling is everything ok? They were shocked," Ikrova said. "They are waiting for us for several months, we came here just to study. So our parents are waiting for us, looking to see us in the new year."
That domestic connection is more important than ever.
"If we weren't able to find the tickets to New York, our next flight will be canceled; our international flight will be canceled, and so it's a really bad situation," Ikrova said.
Major flight disruptions continue at MSP Wednesday. Here's a look at Southwest flight status out of MSP for Dec. 28, 2022:
Arrivals
- 7:55 a.m. Chicago - Midway: Canceled
- 8 a.m. Denver: Canceled
- 10:10 a.m. Chicago - Midway: Canceled
- 10:20 a.m. Denver: Canceled
- 11:40 a.m. Fort Myers: Canceled
- 1:30 p.m. Chicago - Midway: Canceled
- 2 p.m. San Jose: Canceled
- 2:35 p.m. Austin, TX: Canceled
- 4:40 p.m.Baltimore: On Time
- 4:55 p.m. Phoenix: On Time
- 5:10 p.m. Boston: Canceled
- 6:20 p.m. Los Angeles: Canceled
- 7:40 p.m. Dallas - Love: Canceled
- 9:25 p.m. Chicago - Midway: Canceled
- 11:20 p.m. Denver: Canceled
- 11:55 p.m. San Antonio: Canceled
Departures
- 8:35 a.m. Denver: Canceled
- 8:45 a.m. Chicago - Midway: Canceled
- 10:45 a.m. Denver: Canceled
- 10:55 a.m. Austin, TX: Canceled
- 12:35 p.m. Denver: Canceled
- 2:20 p.m. Baltimore: Canceled
- 2:50 p.m. Nashville: Canceled
- 3:10 p.m. Chicago - Midway: Canceled
- 5:30 p.m. Denver: Canceled
- 5:40 p.m. Chicago - Midway: On Time
- 6:00 p.m. St. Louis: Canceled
- 7:10 p.m. Denver: Canceled
- 8:35 p.m. Denver: Canceled
- 10:15 p.m. Chicago - Midway: Canceled
Have an upcoming Southwest flight? Click here to check your flight status.
And it appears the situation won't get much better by Thursday. More than half of the airline's Thursday flights are already canceled as of Wednesday morning, and about 7% of flights are canceled for Friday.
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