Travel Headaches Intensify as Southwest Cancels Thousands of Flights

Both sides of the holiday weekend were trouble when it came to travel.

First, the pre-Christmas winter storm, and now, cancellations and delays, particularly for Southwest Airlines, that have only intensified the post-holiday blues.

“The word would be helpless,” said Paul Zito, who was looking to return to Florida after his trip to Connecticut. “It’s almost like you’re no longer the master of your own universe.”

“Just really frustrating,” said Ivy Zito.

This year, Southwest Airlines is dealing with more than just the usual rush.

The company announced in a statement that it would be flying “roughly one third” of its schedule for the next several days due in part to severe weather across the country.

“This morning I woke up to, ‘Oh, by the way, your flight’s been canceled so you have to rebook,'” Zito said.

On social media, the U.S. Department of Transportation said the rate of these Southwest Airlines cancellations was “unacceptable,” and that they would examine whether or not the situation was avoidable.

“We didn’t expect it to linger as long as it did, so that it’s now lingered as long as it has, and we’re kind of helpless here, that’s the hard part,” said Zac Boyer, whose flight to Kansas was also canceled.

Bradley International Airport had 10 departing flights canceled on Tuesday alone. That’s just a fraction of the roughly 2,500 reported cancellations nationwide, according to FlightAware, but it’s a reality that has people like Zac and Amanda scrambling to find a way home.

“Can we get a car and drive it home? But it’s at least 20 hours if not more because we have an infant now, so you can’t just drive straight through like when you were 22 and in college,” said Amanda Boyer.

Southwest Flight Cancellations: What Passengers Need to Know

These hurdles are creating a chain of problems.

Regina Jahrstrofer and her family opted to drive from Baltimore to Connecticut after their connecting flight was canceled.

“I’m up here just trying to clean it up and get some luggage because I’m still in the same clothes from yesterday morning,” Jahrstrofer said.

Now, their luggage is stuck in Maryland, but despite the headache, she said morale is still looking up.

“We could be a lot worse off, and you just take the next best step and keep moving forward. There’s nothing else you can really do,”Jahrstorfer said.

Some passengers, including Zac and Amanda Boyer, were told they would not be able to get on another Southwest flight home until Jan. 1.