Airlines have canceled thousands of flights in what has become a Christmas nightmare for so many, as winter storms and staffing issues continue to cause havoc across the U.S.
Most major airlines have canceled or delayed thousands of flights, with Southwest Airlines canceling at least 70% of its flights Monday due to a reported system meltdown. The airline has also canceled 60% of its flights for Tuesday.
On Christmas Day, 42% of Southwest’s flights were canceled and 48% were delayed, according to data from FlightAware.
Angry Southwest customers took to Twitter on Monday, sharing their frustrations over the delays, cancellations and long hold times to speak to customer service agents.
“With consecutive days of extreme winter weather across our network behind us, continuing challenges are impacting our customers and employees in a significant way that is unacceptable,” Southwest said in a statement posted online. “And our heartfelt apologies for this are just beginning.”
Southwest said it is working to “address the wide-scale disruption” by repositioning its crew and planes, which were all in the wrong spots.
ABC News spoke with three stranded travelers — one staying overnight at an airport in Boston until her new flight, one stranded in Chicago after his flight got canceled and one driving with a stranger to make it to his Disney Cruise in Tampa after flight issues.
Passengers wait in line at the Delta Air Lines terminal at Los Angeles International Airport, Dec. 25, 2022.
Damian Dovarganes/AP
Each traveler blamed delays on staffing rather than the weather.
ABC News has reached out to American Airlines, Jet Blue, Delta, and United to learn about how staffing is impacting their current delays and cancellations.
“I wanted to fly home for Christmas,” Laetitia Duler, who was flying home to San Francisco from Boston for holiday, told ABC News. “As soon as I like entered the line, they were just like, ‘your flights canceled. Like, bye.’”
Eric Jernigan was trying to fly from Jackson, Mississippi, to Tampa, Florida, for a Disney cruise when his Delta flight was canceled because of a lack of crew, he told ABC News.
He and five others decided to drive to Florida after getting stuck at Jackson-Medgar Wiley Evers International Airport.
The city of Buffalo initiated a travel ban as blizzard conditions moved into the area.
According to New York Gov. Kathy Hochul and local officials, 29 people have died in the state following the aftermath of an enormous lake-effect snowstorm.
Buffalo Niagara International Airport announced Monday that it will be closed until Wednesday, as its crews work “around the clock” to get the airport back up and running.
