PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — Southwest Airlines canceled 1,800 flights over the weekend. There were more cancelations to start the work week, including at Philadelphia International Airport.
Four Southwest flights, two out of Philadelphia and two into the city, were canceled on Monday. Early-morning flights to Nashville and Chicago’s Midway Airport were on the list, and a few dozen would-be travelers only found out after they made their way to check-in.
“Something that had been a wonderful trip is kind of sour grapes right now,” said Olivia Roberts who was traveling with her husband and son to see her other children in Philadelphia.
“(The airline) is directing you to the webpage and you go to the webpage and every flight is unavailable,” said David Foster who was supposed to get a flight to Nashville to connect to a flight to Atlanta.
“I usually fly Southwest, but this kinda freaks me out,” Foster added. “I booked a month ago and now I get a text/email two hours before I need to come to the airport that my flight’s canceled.”
The airline is blaming severe weather and air traffic control issues for this major disruption.
The Federal Aviation Administration, in a tweet, said, “No FAA air traffic staffing shortages have been reported since Friday.”
“Flight delays & cancellations occurred for a few hours Friday PM due to widespread severe weather, military training, & limited staffing in one area of the Jacksonville en route center. Some airlines continue to experience scheduling challenges due to aircraft and crews being out of place.”
And while about 28% of the Southwest schedule was canceled on Sunday, the number was in the single digits for the other major airlines, according to the flight tracking site, FlightAware.
Related
The Southwest Airlines Pilots Association (SWAPA) is blaming poor management and emphasize its members have nothing to do with the disruption.
“There are false claims of job actions by Southwest pilots currently gaining traction on social media and making their way into mainstream news,” union President Casey Murray said in a statement. “I can say with certainty that there are no work slowdowns or sickouts either related to the recent mandatory vaccine mandate or otherwise.”