PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — It’s taking Southwest Airlines longer than other airlines to recover from the massive pre-Christmas storm that snarled air traffic across much of the nation.
Twenty-one Southwest flights were canceled at Philadelphia International Airport, which accounts for 80% of its local schedule. Nationally, according to the tracking website FlightAware, 62% of Southwest flights were canceled.
About 4,000 domestic U.S. flights overall were canceled Monday, according to FlightAware, and 2,900 of those were Southwest’s. Nearly 2,500 more flights overall had already been canceled as of 5 a.m. Tuesday, and problems are likely to continue at least into Wednesday.
Southwest spokesperson Jay McVay said the airline was particularly affected because half of the airports it flies from were affected by the recent weather.
“The cancellations just compiled one after another, to 100, to 150, to 1,000. With those cancellations and as a result, we end up with flight crews and airplanes that are out of place and not in the cities that they need to be in to continue to run our operation,” he told CBS News.
“The challenge with our flight crews [is] being stuck in locations where they need to be along with the aircraft. At this point, we’re working to accommodate our customers as best we can and offer the most options that we can.”
Related
Making matters worse, travelers who are calling to rebook have been met with busy signals and jammed phone lines.
The U.S. Department of Transportation has launched an investigation into why Southwest has been unable to accommodate its customers and recover from the storm the way other airlines have.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.