Tag Archives: flights

Business

Dow Jones Futures Rise Ahead Of CPI Inflation Report; U.S. Airline Flights Grounded

Leave a comment

Dow Jones futures rose slightly early Wednesday, along with S&P 500 futures and Nasdaq futures. U.S. domestic flights were grounded due to an FAA glitch. WWE, Wells Fargo, Axcelis Technologies and Impinj also were in focus before the open.




X



The stock market rally was indecisive for much of Tuesday, but the major indexes gained steam, with the S&P 500 moving its 50-day moving average. Investors await the December CPI inflation report on Thursday morning.

Medpace (MEDP) rose solidly Tuesday, flashing a new buy signal after a similar move fizzled at the end of 2022. First Solar (FSLR) rebounded from its 50-day line, also providing an early entry. But ELF Beauty (ELF) and Super Micro Computer (SMCI) tumbled after Monday’s reversals.

MEDP stock and ELF Beauty are on IBD Leaderboard. SMCI stock is on the IBD 50. Medpace was Tuesday’s IBD Stock Of The Day.

Tesla (TSLA) and UnitedHealth (UNH) edged lower, as many big caps continue to struggle.

Investors should remain cautious, especially with the CPI inflation report looming.

Business News

The FAA halted all domestic flights until 9 a.m.-9:30 a.m. ET due to a significant systems outage. Flights had been disrupted since early Wednesday morning. The FAA expects to “repopulate” the system soon, but airlines will have to scramble to get back on schedule. Airline stocks including Delta Air Lines (DAL) and United Airlines (UAL) were slightly lower.

Vince McMahon is once again chairman at World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE), after his daughter Stephanie stepped down as chairwoman and co-CEO Tuesday evening. Mr. McMahon, a major shareholder, resigned last year over payments related to sexual misconduct claims. WWE stock rose solidly in premarket trading, after soaring in recent days on reports of his expected return to lead a sale of the company.

Meanwhile, Wells Fargo (WFC) will largely exit the mortgage business amid regulatory pressure, CNBC reported late Tuesday. It’ll only offer home loans to existing bank and wealth management customers and borrowers in minority communities. WFC stock was little changed in extended trade.

Axcelis Technologies (ACLS), which made a strong move over the last several sessions, said revenue for the December-ending fourth quarter topped $250 million vs. the chip-equipment maker’s prior guidance of $232 million to $240 million. ACLS stock edged higher after hours.

Impinj (PI) says Q4 sales exceeded $76 million vs. the RFID-chip maker’s prior guidance of $71.5 million-$73.5 million. PI stock, already slightly above the 50-day line, rose solidly overnight. That could offer an early entry or come close to Impinj stock’s flat base buy point. PI stock also is on Leaderboard.

Earnings season also begins to pick up late in the week. Taiwan Semiconductor (TSM) reports on Thursday morning. On Friday, JPMorgan Chase (JPM), Bank of America (BAC), Citigroup (C) and Wells Fargo all report before the open, along with Delta Air and UnitedHealth.

Dow Jones Futures Today

Dow Jones futures rose 0.25% vs. fair value. S&P 500 futures climbed 0.3% and Nasdaq 100 futures advanced 0.3%.

The 10-year Treasury yield fell 3 basis points to 3.59%.

Crude oil futures edged higher despite the American Petroleum Institute estimating a huge weekly jump in U.S. inventories. The Energy Information Administration will release U.S. crude and petroleum products data at 10:30 a.m. ET.

Remember that overnight action in Dow futures and elsewhere doesn’t necessarily translate into actual trading in the next regular stock market session.

Join IBD experts as they analyze actionable stocks in the stock market rally on IBD Live

Stock Market Rally

After Monday’s disappointing fade, the stock market rally strengthened Tuesday afternoon, closing near session highs.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 0.6% in Tuesday’s stock market trading. The S&P 500 index climbed 0.7%. The Nasdaq composite climbed 1%. The small-cap Russell 2000 popped 1.5%

Tesla stock edged down 0.8% Tuesday after bouncing 5.9% on Monday. Shares reversed higher Friday after setting a bear market low of 101.06 after the EV giant announced big price cuts in China and other key Asian markets. TSLA stock needs a lot of repair.

Shares rose 2% before Wednesday’s open. Tesla has applied to Texas for a big expansion of its Austin assembly plant, the Austin Business Journal reported late Tuesday. Tesla Austin is still ramping up to its existing capacity.

UNH stock dipped 0.8%, hitting its worst levels since last June. The Dow Jones health insurer has tumbled 8.3% already in 2023, after ending 2022 in reasonably good shape. UnitedHealth earnings and guidance Friday will be important for the suddenly embattled sector.

U.S. crude oil prices rose 0.7% to $75.12 a barrel. Natural gas prices tumbled 6.9%.

The 10-year Treasury yield jumped 10 basis points to 3.62% after skidding 20 basis points in the prior two sessions.

Tesla Vs. BYD: EV Giants Vie For Crown, But Which Is The Better Buy?

ETFs

Among growth ETFs, the Innovator IBD 50 ETF (FFTY) rose 1.1%, while the Innovator IBD Breakout Opportunities ETF (BOUT) edged up 0.15%. The iShares Expanded Tech-Software Sector ETF (IGV) eked out a 0.1% gain. The VanEck Vectors Semiconductor ETF (SMH) advanced 1.3%, just topping the 200-day line after clearing the 50-day on Friday. TSM stock is a big SMH holding.

Reflecting more-speculative story stocks, ARK Innovation ETF (ARKK) jumped 2.5% and ARK Genomics ETF (ARKG) 3.6%. Tesla stock is still a major holding at Ark Invest, with Cathie Wood bolstering her position in recent weeks.

SPDR S&P Metals & Mining ETF (XME) ran up 2.5% and the Global X U.S. Infrastructure Development ETF (PAVE) climbed 1.6%. U.S. Global Jets ETF (JETS) ascended 2.4%, with DAL stock among the notable holdings. SPDR S&P Homebuilders ETF (XHB) rose 1%. The Energy Select SPDR ETF (XLE) advanced 0.7% and the Financial Select SPDR ETF (XLF) gained 0.6%. The Health Care Select Sector SPDR Fund (XLV) closed up 0.8%, with UNH stock a top XLV holding.

Five Best Chinese Stocks To Watch Now

Market Rally Analysis

The stock market rally spent much of the morning around break-even, but finished Tuesday with a relatively strong performance.

The S&P 500 rose above the 50-day line. The 200-day average is modestly above that.

The Dow Jones rebounded from a test of its 50-day line after moving above that key level on Friday. The Nasdaq rose from its 21-day line with the 50-day line not far away.

The Russell 2000 is back above its 50-day line, just below its 200-day.

The S&P MidCap 400 rose on Tuesday after finding support at the 50-day. That’s after jumping above its 21-day, 50-day and 200-day lines on Friday. Invesco S&P 500 Equal Weight ETF (RSP) looks quite similar.

RSP and the MidCap 400 highlight how big caps such as Apple (AAPL), Tesla and UNH stock have weighed on the market.

A sustained stock market rally may not take hold until there is clarity on when the Federal Reserve will stop hiking rates. Markets strongly expect just a quarter-point hike at the Feb. 1 policy meeting and again in late March.

Thursday’s CPI inflation report could lock in expectations for a quarter-point hike. Inflation should continue to trend lower in the coming months, if only because the year-over-year comparisons are so steep.

Why This IBD Tool Simplifies The Search For Top Stocks

Leading Stocks Mixed

A number of leading stocks have flashed buy signals in recent days and weeks. But most have quickly faltered. In some cases, such as MEDP stock, they bounce back a few days later.

Medpace jumped 5.9% to 223.29 in heavy volume, rebounding from the 50-day line and clearing its Dec. 29 high, when MEDP tried to move out.

First Solar soared 7.4% to 171.01, continuing a mini-win streak. The move from the 50-day line offered an early entry within a new base, but is now looking a little extended. But the 173.78 official buy point isn’t far away.

Other names keep tumbling.

ELF stock had a promising breakout Friday, but gave up most of those gains Monday and plunged 8.3% on Tuesday to 51.15, knifing below the 50-day line and undercutting the low of its flat base.

SMCI stock soared Monday morning, offering an early entry, but closed only fractionally higher. On Tuesday, shares gapped down 7.55%, below the 50-day line, after a short-seller report.

Many other stocks are hovering right around potential buy points.

Time The Market With IBD’s ETF Market Strategy

What To Do Now

The stock market rally is still in force, but the major indexes, sectors and especially leading stocks are prone to reversals. Thursday’s CPI inflation report could trigger big gains, with the major indexes pushing decisively above some key levels. But it could also go the other way.

Investors should be cautious about their exposure and be wary of new buys, especially before the CPI report.

If you do make new buys, know your exit strategy before going in. Consider taking partial profits quickly to lock in some gains.

This is still a window-shopping market. But there are a lot of intriguing stocks to watch from a variety of sectors. Get those watchlists ready.

Read The Big Picture every day to stay in sync with the market direction and leading stocks and sectors.

Please follow Ed Carson on Twitter at @IBD_ECarson for stock market updates and more.

YOU MAY ALSO LIKE:

Catch The Next Big Winning Stock With MarketSmith

Want To Get Quick Profits And Avoid Big Losses? Try SwingTrader

Best Growth Stocks To Buy And Watch

IBD Digital: Unlock IBD’s Premium Stock Lists, Tools And Analysis Today



Read original article here

Business

Getting Results—and Money—When Airlines Cancel Flights

Leave a comment

Canceled or delayed flights can cost travelers money. Getting an airline to pay you back for expenses like hotel stays and rental cars isn’t impossible, but it can involve lots of legwork.

Southwest pledged to provide refunds to passengers on canceled or significantly delayed flights between Dec. 24 and Jan. 2, but the airline is also providing reimbursement for additional expenses including the cost of staying at a hotel or renting a car. Passengers were also given 25,000 frequent-flier points in a move by Southwest executives to win them back.

Airline passengers “have very few rights,” said

Paul Hudson,

president of FlyersRights, a consumer advocacy organization. Getting the remuneration that passengers believe they are entitled to can come down to perseverance and communicating extensively with the airline over an extended period.

Here’s what travelers need to know about their rights on domestic flights in the U.S. and how to get reimbursed.

My flight was canceled. Can I get a refund?

Airline customers are entitled to a refund if a flight is canceled for any reason or “significantly delayed” and they opt not to travel, according to rules from the Transportation Department. This policy extends to nonrefundable tickets. The DOT determines on a case-by-case basis whether passengers are entitled to a refund for a delayed flight.

While airlines are required to provide refunds in these circumstances if requested, they aren’t barred from offering other forms of redress first. Carriers will often offer a passenger the opportunity to rebook on another flight or a voucher or credit that could be used for future travel.

In these situations, customers will need to speak with an airline representative and request an “involuntary refund,” Mr. Hudson said. Not all customer-service staff will be familiar with this phrase, he warned, but he described it as “the magic words” to use to get a refund quickly.

I had to stay in a hotel because of a flight delay. Am I entitled to reimbursement?

Additional compensation beyond a refund of airfare and other fees isn’t required by the DOT. Still, most airlines have policies on what they will cover.

If a plane has a technical issue or the flight isn’t properly staffed, an airline’s compensation policy typically will kick in. If the delay or cancellation is due to weather, passengers may be out of luck getting assistance.

The DOT maintains a dashboard spelling out what is covered under the customer-service policies at the 10 largest domestic airlines in the U.S. in cases where cancellations or delays were under the carrier’s control. Each of these major airlines has put these policies in writing, making the commitments enforceable, a DOT spokeswoman said in an email.

My checked luggage went missing. What does the airline owe me?

If a checked bag is delayed, missing or damaged, the airline is liable and must reimburse the traveler. For domestic flights, airlines are only required to cover up to $3,800.

Apart from being required to reimburse passengers for the value of items that were lost or damaged, carriers must also compensate people for incidental expenses such as purchasing replacement clothing or medications. Airlines cannot set an arbitrary daily limit for those expenses, though they can require receipts or other proof for valuable items that were lost, according to the DOT.

I can’t rebook with my airline. Are they required to book me on another airline?

Before the airline industry was deregulated in the U.S. in the 1970s, carriers were required to rebook passengers with other airlines in instances where flights were canceled or delayed. “Now, it’s strictly voluntary,” said Mr. Hudson.

Some carriers have formal relationships with other airlines that allow them to rebook reservations at no additional cost, whereas others may buy tickets from competitors for stranded passengers. Southwest said it bought tickets on other airlines during its meltdown, and

Spirit

did the same during its 2021 meltdown.

I was bumped from my flight by my airline. Is that allowed?

Airlines have come under fire in recent years for the practice of overselling flights and then bumping passengers. The practice is allowed, as long as you haven’t boarded the plane. If you’ve already boarded, the airline can remove you from the flight for safety, security or health reasons.

If a passenger is involuntarily bumped, the carrier must provide a written statement of the flier’s rights and how the company decides who is bumped. They may be provided a refund, but they aren’t guaranteed additional compensation.

To be eligible for compensation, the traveler must have a confirmed reservation, have checked in on time and have arrived at the departure gate on time, the DOT states on its website.  

If all those conditions apply—and the airline cannot rebook the passenger on a flight that gets them to their destination within one hour of their original scheduled arrival—compensation is calculated based on the price of the original ticket, the length of the delay and whether the flight is domestic or international. Compensation ranges from up to $775 for short delays to no more than $1,550 for longer delays.

Write to Jacob Passy at jacob.passy@wsj.com

Copyright ©2022 Dow Jones & Company, Inc. All Rights Reserved. 87990cbe856818d5eddac44c7b1cdeb8

Read original article here

World

Philippines NAIA: Power outage leaves thousands stranded, flights canceled on New Year’s

Leave a comment

(CNN) — Chaos erupted on New Year’s Day in the Philippines after a severe power outage temporarily impacted air traffic control at the country’s largest airport, disrupting hundreds of flights and leaving tens of thousands of travelers stranded in the Southeast Asian hub.

Despite a power restoration, some travelers are still struggling to get re-booked and continue on to their final destinations.

Ninoy Aquino International Airport (MNL) is the main gateway for travelers to the Philippines, serving the capital Manila and surrounding region.

Technical issues were first detected on Sunday morning, the airport operator, Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines (CAAP), said in a statement.

A total of 282 flights were either delayed, canceled or diverted to other regional airports while around 56,000 passengers were affected as of 4 p.m. local time on New Year’s Day.

Behind the scenes

In a press conference held on the evening of Sunday, January 1, Philippine Transportation Secretary Jaime Bautista apologized for the inconvenience caused to passengers and said that the airport’s central air traffic control system had suffered from a severe power outage. Although there was a back-up power supply, it had failed to supply enough power, he added.

“This was an air traffic management system issue,” Bautista said. “If you will compare (our airport) with Singapore’s, for one, there is a big difference — they are at least 10 years ahead of us,” he said.

Bautista added that his transportation department had also coordinated with the affected airlines to provide food, refreshments, transportation and accommodation “free of charge to all affected passengers.”

Among the flights affected by the airspace outage was a Manila-bound Qantas plane that departed from Sydney shortly before 1 p.m. local time on January 1. Three hours into its eight-hour journey, Flight QF19 was then forced to turn around mid-air and return to Australia.

“All airlines were prevented from arriving into Manila on Sunday afternoon as local authorities closed the local airspace,” Qantas said in a statement. “This meant our flight from Sydney had to turn around.”

Operations had partially resumed as at 5:50 p.m. local time, CAAP said in an update, and that the airport had once again begun to accept inbound flights. A statement from the Department of Transport shared on Facebook said that airport operations were back to normal while equipment restoration was still ongoing.

A possible investigation

However, flight delays continued into Tuesday for a second day running — even after power had been fully restored, reported affiliate CNN Philippines. Officials have advised travelers to “expect more delays” as airlines scheduled new flights to replace the ones that had been canceled.

“Passengers should expect flight delays because this is a consequence of the recovery operations that we are undertaking today,” Cielo Villaluna, a spokesperson for Philippine Airlines — the country’s flag carrier — told CNN.

She also said that many aircraft were still stranded as a result of the system issue on New Year’s Day.

Frustrated and tired passengers lamented their loss on what to do as they camped outside airline ticketing offices to get clarification and early flights out.

The incident has sparked fierce public backlash online — with many, including politicians, questioning how and why the power outage had happened in the first place.

Filipino Senator Grace Poe announced an official investigation into the incident. “There needs to be transparency and accountability from the CAAP,” Poe said.

“We will therefore, conduct a hearing as part of the Senate’s oversight function — to determine who is liable, and what we need to do to avoid the malfunction from happening again,” Poe added.

Passengers weigh in

Global air travel was hard hit by the Covid-19 pandemic but passenger traffic has been slowly recovering, with industry experts predicting the industry to return to previous normal levels by 2025.

Photos and videos shared online showed massive crowds at NAIA. Snaking queues were seen at several check-in counters. Many passengers lugging around their luggage were also spotted huddling around flight arrival screens waiting for updates.

Manny V. Pangilinan, a Filipino businessman, shared on Twitter that he had been on his way back to Manila from Tokyo but the plane had to make a return to Haneda airport due to “radar and navigation facilities at NAIA being down.”

“Six hours of useless flying,” he said. “Inconvenience to travelers and losses to tourism and business are horrendous.” His plane eventually landed in Manila at 11 p.m. local time, Pangilinan said.

Student Xavier Fernandez was one of thousands affected by the New Year flight disruptions. He spent hours on the phone with United Airlines and other flight companies to rebook his flight to San Francisco at a later date. “It’s been an absolute nightmare,” he told CNN, adding that he had been in the airport for more than 10 hours.

Fernandez also said there had been other passengers who had boarded their aircraft on Sunday morning before the power outages were announced, and ultimately had to disembark their planes after waiting for several hours on board.

The large scale flight disruptions come amid a busy annual year end travel period in the Philippines, which sees large numbers of foreign tourists as well as overseas citizens flying into the country from abroad to mark Christmas and New Year, some of the country’s most important holiday celebrations.

Fernandez had been in Manila to celebrate Christmas and the New Year with his family.

“Literally the worst way to start the year,” he said of the episode.

The New Year airport crisis also threw many Filipinos working overseas off their flights bound for destinations like Hong Kong and Singapore.

Nora Dela Cruz, a domestic worker, told CNN that her job was “now in limbo” after she failed to return to Hong Kong on Sunday. She, along with other women who work in the industry, were “offloaded” because of the delays, she said.



Read original article here

World

Power outage forces Philippines to suspend flights, shut airspace

Leave a comment

  • More than 280 flights delayed, diverted on New Year’s Day
  • Transportation chief blames power outage for failure
  • System partially restored, airlines offer free rebooking

MANILA, Jan 1 (Reuters) – Philippine authorities halted flights in and out of Manila on New Year’s Day due to a malfunction of air traffic control, which also prevented airlines bound to other destinations from using the country’s airspace.

A total of 282 flights were either delayed, cancelled or diverted to other regional airports, affecting around 56,000 passengers at Manila’s Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA), the airport operator said on Sunday.

It was unclear how many overflights were affected.

Transportation Secretary Jaime Bautista apologized for the inconvenience to passengers as he blamed a power outage for the breakdown of the central air traffic control system that also affected operations at other airports in the country.

He said the outdated existing facility should be upgraded immediately and that a back-up system was also needed.

“This is air traffic management system issue,” he said in a media briefing. “If you will compare us with Singapore, for one, there is a big difference, they are at least 10 years ahead of us.”

As of 0800 GMT, “the system has been partially restored thereby allowing limited flight operations”, the Manila International Airport Authority said in a statement. By late evening, eight flight arrivals and eight departures had been allowed, according to the airport operator.

Video clips and photos posted on social media showed long queues at the airport and airline personnel distributing food packs and drinks to stranded passengers.

“We’re told radar and navigation facilities at NAIA down. I was on my way home fm Tokyo – 3 hours into the flight, but had to return to Haneda,” tweeted one passenger – Manuel Pangilinan, chairman of Philippine telecommunications conglomerate PLDT Inc.

“6 hours of useless flying but inconvenience to travellers and losses to tourism and business are horrendous. Only in the PH. Sigh.”

Budget carrier Cebu Pacific (CEB.PS) and Philippine Airlines (PAL.PS) said they were offering passengers due to fly on Sunday free rebooking or the option to convert tickets to vouchers.

Reporting by Enrico Dela Cruz; Editing by Neil Fullick, Peter Graff and Alison Williams

Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Read original article here

Business

Southwest Airlines Shows Progress in Push to Restore Flights

Leave a comment

Southwest Airlines Co.

LUV 0.87%

showed progress Saturday in its push to regain credibility with regulators and travelers, especially those whose holidays were disrupted by the company’s meltdown over the past week, but cancellations increased late in the day.

The Dallas-based carrier had 30 Saturday flight cancellations as of Saturday evening, according to FlightAware. Overall, more than 250 flights among all airlines flying to, from or within the U.S. had been canceled. Southwest’s total compared with 15 for United Airlines and 11 for

Delta Air Lines.

A Southwest spokeswoman said earlier in the day that the airline was operating a normal Saturday schedule of about 3,400 flights. Meanwhile, the carrier was seeking volunteers among its employees to help the customer-service staff catch up with requests for refunds and reunite customers with missing bags.

In a video distributed to staff members Friday, Southwest executives were upbeat about the near-term outlook. “I’m just very pleased to share that things are going very, very well,” said

Bob Jordan,

the airline’s chief executive. 

Andrew Watterson,

chief operating officer, said that lines had grown shorter and that the airline expected to provide normal service during the New Year holiday period and beyond. In another update Saturday, he said Southwest had deployed “an army” of people to ship bags back to customers, in some cases using

UPS

and

FedEx

to transport lost luggage. 

Southwest has ramped up its service after a meltdown that resulted in nearly 16,000 canceled flights between Dec. 22 and Dec. 29. Those cancellations, stemming from the recent winter storm, left thousands of holiday travelers stranded, furious and in many cases separated by hundreds of miles from their luggage.

Though the storm created problems for all airlines, Southwest canceled far more flights and was much slower than others to recover. Executives of the airline have said the scheduling system used to revise crew schedules after storms was overwhelmed by the volume of changes required. Airline staff members fumbled with makeshift manual methods to match up available crew and planes.

Southwest Airlines travelers waited for luggage in Minneapolis on Friday.



Photo:

Abbie Parr/Associated Press

To get back on track, the airline shrank itself for much of this week, operating roughly a third of its typical schedule on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday as it worked to get crews and planes back in place. The airline resumed operating its full schedule Friday. 

Southwest’s problems are far from over. Regulators, lawmakers and union leaders have said they are monitoring the airline’s response to the crisis. Southwest has apologized repeatedly and promised to reimburse affected travelers.

“As SWA turns the corner operationally, focus must remain on promptly compensating passengers caught in last week’s breakdown,” Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg said in a tweet Saturday.

One regular Southwest customer who still needs more reassurance is Allison Whitney, a professor of film and media studies at Texas Tech University. She was due to fly home to Lubbock, Texas, from Minnesota on Wednesday, but her Southwest flight was canceled. Facing the risk of being stranded until early in the new year, she booked an American Airlines flight Friday and made it home. 

Ms. Whitney likes Southwest’s luggage and easy-rebooking policies and finds that it can be the only good choice for some of her trips. But she said that after this week, she might hesitate to rely on Southwest for longer trips until she is convinced that the airline’s computer systems are up-to-date.

Write to James R. Hagerty at bob.hagerty@wsj.com and Alison Sider at alison.sider@wsj.com

Copyright ©2022 Dow Jones & Company, Inc. All Rights Reserved. 87990cbe856818d5eddac44c7b1cdeb8



Read original article here

Business

Southwest Airlines restoring flights Friday as it looks to prevent another breakdown

Leave a comment

Southwest Airlines is hoping to end a weeklong debacle and bring back almost 4,000 flights Friday as it reckons with how to prevent a repeat of one of the worst operational disasters in its history.

After canceling more than 15,700 flights over an eight-day stretch since Dec. 22, the Dallas-based air carrier said Thursday that it finally has pilots, flight attendants and aircraft in place to return to a normal schedule Friday. To make that possible, the company said it had to shut down two-thirds of its flights between Tuesday and Thursday to stem a cascade of cancellations that was escalating by the day and left millions of passengers stranded during the Christmas holiday.

Leaders blamed the issues on bad weather and an “overmatched” crew rescheduling technology system that couldn’t keep up with the task of reassigning thousands of pilots and flight attendants after winter weather hit major bases in Denver and Chicago.

Holiday meltdown exposes Southwest Airlines’ technology woes

But during a media call Thursday, CEO Bob Jordan, chief operating officer Andrew Watterson and other senior managers at Southwest were short on answers about whether or not another meltdown could happen again.

“I’ve never seen anything like it in my 35 years in terms of the impact on the network, the level of transactions, the complexity of the solves, all of those things — none of those being excuses,” Jordan said during the call. “But there will be priorities that come out of responding to this because this is not something we want to happen again for our customers or for our employees.”

Southwest leaders are unsure exactly how many passengers will need to be accommodated in the coming days because the level of disruption was so deep that many chose other forms of transportation, bought expensive last-minute flights on other airlines or missed their holiday vacations altogether as the breakdown lasted more than a week and spanned the Christmas weekend.

About 2.3 million passengers were disrupted during the meltdown.

“We don’t know how many people still need to travel,” Watterson said. “It depends on who still wants to travel, so to speak. And so easily the first five days of the year, I can see there be room for people should they need to travel.”

It wasn’t until late Wednesday that Southwest even communicated to employees, many still stranded in hotel rooms far from home, that it would attempt to reset the flight schedule fresh on Friday. Southwest told customers Thursday morning and then communicated it to the public later that day. Southwest also put tickets back on sale for Friday and the weekend after halting sales earlier in the week to prevent those bookings from being canceled as well as giving space to move pilot and flight attendants.

Did you lose your bag while flying? What to do if your luggage is missing

Southwest spent the last two days developing a plan to get pilots and flight attendants back into position to resume trips they had originally scheduled before the meltdown. Cutting around 2,500 flights a day gave the carrier the resources to track down flight attendants and pilots scattered across the country and develop a strategy to end the cascading problems.

With the automated systems to reassign pilots and flight attendants useless, Southwest trained a group of about 1,000 employees to help reschedule crew members manually, calling them individually, Watterson said.

Having gone through this series of weather and operational disruptions, Watterson said the company can reapply that process again in the event of another breakdown.

Otherwise, it will take the airline years to fully reimplement new crew scheduling technology systems.

“It’s just a large and complicated project,” Jordan said. “That’s not meant to be an excuse; it’s just a fact.”

“I think a discussion out of this will be what can we do, certainly, in critical areas of the plan to accelerate that and accelerate that development.”

The company has been working to upgrade and replace older technology, but it takes time, he said.

“We have a very large infrastructure spending plan every year — capital spending plan and technology and other areas, but a lot in technology,” he said. “And the systems are complicated. We have legacy systems in some cases. And it’s just a period of time it takes to grind through those replacements. So those are multi-year projects.”

The delays and cancellations have already prompted an examination from the Department of Transportation and scrutiny from politicians in Washington, D.C.

Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg sent a letter to Jordan Thursday demanding the company take care of customers financially burdened by the travel disruptions.

“These front-line employees are not to blame for mistakes at the leadership level,” Buttigieg wrote in the letter. “I hope and expect that you will follow the law, take the steps laid out in this letter, and provide me with a prompt update on Southwest’s efforts to do right by the customers it has wronged.”

And after meeting with representatives from three of the company’s unions Wednesday, Rep. Colin Allred, D-Dallas, and Jake Ellzey, R-Arlington, issued a joint statement Thursday that said, in part:

“There has always been strong bipartisan support in Congress for the growth of Southwest Airlines …

“However, it is clear that for some time Southwest has run unacceptable risks and tried to get by with an unacceptably thin margin of error — both in staffing and in technology — and that this crisis was both predictable and preventable.

“The payment of hundreds of millions in dividends to shareholders and a healthy profit through the first three quarters of this year clearly show that Southwest can afford to address the issues at hand but has chosen not to.” They challenged Southwest executives to compensate passengers fairly and take steps to prevent future meltdowns.

As customer cancellations piled up along with mountains of luggage in airports across the country, Southwest Airlines tried to communicate with customers that it planned to “honor reasonable requests” for reimbursement of hotels, food, transportation and even tickets on other airlines.

“We’ve notified customers that if we canceled their flights, they are eligible for a full refund,” said chief commercial officer Ryan Green. “If they had to make alternative travel arrangements, we’re going to reimburse customers for those travel expenses. We will ship a customer’s bag to them and no cost to them. And over the last couple of days, we’ve stood up websites in order to make that as easy on our customers as possible.”

The company would evaluate reimbursing costs of other extenuating circumstances from the flight disruptions, he said.

However, Green acknowledged that there are complications, such as determining what requests are reasonable for reimbursement and figuring out how long it will take to process all the claims.

“Realistically it’s going to take us several weeks here to get back to customers,” he said. “We are working as diligently as we can and automating as much of that as we can to process through those quickly. But it’s our goal to work through that as quickly as possible.”

Southwest has canceled just 39 flights for Friday as of noon Thursday, according to Flightaware.com. It canceled more than 2,000 flights every day this week stretching back to Monday.

Southwest Airlines Pilots Association president Casey Murray said the carrier spent Wednesday trying to get crew members back to their home base airports so they could be dispersed out Thursday and be in place to start regular flying on Friday.

“The hope is to start fresh Friday with everyone in the right place,” Murray said.

While Southwest was only operating about 1,500 of its 4,000 daily scheduled passenger flights this week, it also conducted 104 “ferry flights” on Thursday just to move crew members and airplanes around the system to be ready for Friday, Watterson said.

Southwest plans to offer nearly 4,000 flights a day over the New Year’s weekend as millions of travelers look to return back home, to college and back to work after the holiday break.

Union leaders have blamed airline leadership for letting company technology fall woefully behind the demands of running such a complex operation.

Jordan pledged to customers that the company will make changes to ensure this kind of disruption doesn’t happen again.

In the memo, Watterson said they plan to put pilots and flight attendants on flights that they had originally been scheduled for instead of trying to rebuild assignments from scratch.

“Customers want to fly what they originally bought, so going to that schedule is actually requires the least changes and is the least disruptive,” Watterson said.

What we know about Southwest cancellations: Tips, your questions answered and what’s next



Read original article here

Business

Southwest Airlines’ troubles continuing: Thousands more flights canceled

Leave a comment

Southwest Airlines scrubbed thousands of flights again Wednesday as the company faced frustration from passengers and scrutiny from federal officials over its handling of its schedule in the aftermath of the massive storm that wrecked holiday travel plans across the U.S.

By Wednesday evening, about 86% of all canceled flights in the U.S. were from Southwest, which scrubbed more than 2,500 flights Wednesday, according to tracking service Flight Aware. On Tuesday, a day after most U.S. airlines had recovered from the storm, Southwest had called off about 2,600 more flights. Those flights accounted for more than 80% of the 3,000 trips that got canceled nationwide Tuesday, according to FlightAware.

And the chaos seems certain to continue. The airline has scrubbed more than 2,300 flights set for Thursday as it tries to restore order to its mangled schedule. That’s another huge percentage of all scrapped U.S. flights for the day as noted by FlightAware, and 58% of Southwest’s Thursday schedule.

Southest canceled more than 15,000 flights over the past week, according to data posted by FlightAware.

The company issued another apology Wednesday, but it could still take days before the situation is back to normal.

Several major airlines — including American, Delta, and United — tell CBS News they’re capping fares in select cities to help stranded customers get home.

Southwest has blamed the massive winter storm last week for putting its crews out of position and is now running a reduced flight schedule in hopes of getting back on track by the new year.

Still, customers at airports with major Southwest operations faced long lines hoping to find a seat on another flight. They described waiting hours on hold for help, only to be cut off. Some tried to rent cars to get to their destinations sooner. Others found spots to sleep on the floor. Luggage piled up in huge heaps.

Conrad Stoll, a 66-year-old retired construction worker in Missouri, planned to fly from Kansas City to Los Angeles for his father’s 90th birthday party until his Southwest flight was canceled early Tuesday. He said he won’t get to see his 88-year-old mother either.

“I went there in 2019, and she looked at me and said, ‘I’m not going to see you again.'” Stoll said. “My sister has been taking care of them, and she’s just like, ‘They’re really losing it really quick.'”

Stoll hopes to get another chance to see his parents in the spring, when the weather is warmer.


Holiday travel chaos continues with flight delays and cancellations

03:15

Adontis Barber, a 34-year-old jazz pianist from Kansas City, Missouri, had camped out in the city’s airport since his Southwest flight was canceled Saturday and wondered if he would ever get to a New Year’s gig in Washington, D.C.

“I give up,” he said. “I’m starting to feel homeless.”

The carrier also continued to be deluged with questions and complaints online. Said one person on Twitter, “[S]o let’s get this straight. My bags get lost, and then DAMAGED, and when I try to contact you guys over the phone, for the past WEEK, all I get is two rings and the busy tone? What kind of customer service is that?”

CEO apologizes

In a video that Southwest posted late Tuesday, CEO Robert Jordan said Southwest would operate a reduced schedule for several days but hoped to be “back on track before next week.”

Jordan blamed the winter storm for snarling the airline’s “highly complex” network. He said Southwest’s tools for recovering from disruptions work “99% of the time, but clearly we need to double down” on upgrading systems to avoid a repeat of this week.

Jordan, a 34-year Southwest veteran who became CEO in February, said he is “truly sorry” for the travel chaos, adding that “We have some real work to do in making this right.”

Another Southwest executive issued a video apology Wednesday, highlighting new features on the company’s website where affected travelers can go to rebook flights, request refunds and submit information on missing bags.

Ryan Green, Southwest’s chief commercial officer, pledged “to do everything we can and to work day and night to repair our relationship” with passengers.

The problems began over the weekend and snowballed Monday, when Southwest called off more than 70% of its flights.

That was after the worst of the storm had passed. The airline said many pilots and flight attendants were out of position to work their flights. Leaders of unions representing Southwest pilots and flight attendants blamed antiquated crew-scheduling software and criticized company management.

Luis Hernandez, 61, left, Ruth Hernandez, with their dog Sissi wait for a ride home after their Southwest Airlines flight to Omaha, Nebraska, got cancelled at Los Angeles International Airport on Tuesday, Dec. 27, 2022 in Los Angeles, California.

Irfan Khan


Casey Murray, president of the Southwest Airlines Pilots Association, said the airline failed to fix problems that caused a similar meltdown in October 2021.

“There is a lot of frustration because this is so preventable,” Murray said. “The airline cannot connect crews to airplanes. The airline didn’t even know where pilots were at.”

Murray said managers resorted this week to asking pilots at some airports to report to a central location, where they wrote down the names of pilots who were present and forwarded the lists to headquarters.

In an internal memo, meanwhile, Southwest’s vice president of group operations on Dec. 21 warned of a “state of operational emergency” at the airline’s hub in Denver because of a high number of employee absences, according to Bloomberg News.

Lyn Montgomery, president of the Transport Workers Union representing Southwest flight attendants, said she and other labor leaders have repeatedly told management that the airline’s scheduling technology is not good enough.

“This has been something we have seen coming,” she said. “This is a very catastrophic event.”

Buttigieg: Southwest should offer cash refunds

The airline is now drawing unwanted attention from Washington.

Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg, who has criticized airlines for previous disruptions, said his agency would examine the causes of Southwest’s widespread cancellations and whether the airline was meeting its legal obligations to stranded customers.

“While we all understand that you can’t control the weather, this has clearly crossed the line from what is an uncontrollable weather situation to something that is the airline’s direct responsibility,” Buttigieg told “NBC Nightly News.” He said Southwest should at least pay cash refunds for canceled flights and cover stranded passengers’ hotel and meal costs.

In Congress, the Senate Commerce Committee also promised an investigation. Two Senate Democrats called on Southwest to provide “significant” compensation for stranded travelers, saying that the airline has the money because it plans to pay $428 million in dividends next month.

Bryce Burger and his family were supposed to be on a cruise to Mexico departing from San Diego on Dec. 24, but their flight from Denver was canceled without warning. The flight was rebooked through Burbank, California, but that flight was canceled while they sat at the gate.

“It’s horrible,” Burger said Tuesday by phone from Salt Lake City, where the family decided to drive after giving up the cruise.

The family’s luggage is still at the Denver airport, and Burger doesn’t know if he can get a refund for the cruise because the flight to California was booked separately.

At Dallas Fort Worth International Airport, travelers said they were told they won’t be able to catch another Southwest flight until Saturday, according to CBS News DFW.


Death toll rises after monster winter storm

01:57

The size and severity of the storm created havoc for many airlines, although the largest number of canceled flights Tuesday were at airports where Southwest is a major carrier, including Denver, Chicago Midway, Las Vegas, Baltimore and Dallas.

Spirit Airlines and Alaska Airlines both canceled about 10% of their flights, with much smaller cancellation percentages at American, Delta, United and JetBlue.

Consumer advocates urged Congress to adopt new regulations to protect travelers. 

“While the awful weather isn’t anyone’s fault, the way travelers were treated and accommodated — or not — sits squarely on the shoulders of most of the airlines,” said Teresa Murray, consumer watchdog with public interest group U.S. PIRG, in a statement.

“As federal officials examine how much of the mayhem was preventable, this catastrophe once again exposes the massive changes that are needed to better protect airline passengers. 

“Oh my God, we’re getting on a plane!”

Kristie Smiley planned to return home to Los Angeles until Southwest canceled her Tuesday flight, so she waited at the Kansas City airport for her mother to pick her up. Southwest can’t put her on another plane until Sunday, New Year’s Day.

Smiley said the airline kept blaming the weather after the storm passed and didn’t tell passengers why planes couldn’t take off.

“They like acted like [Tuesday’s flight] was going to go until they started saying, ‘Oh, five more minutes. Oh, 10 more minutes.’ I’m not sure what’s up with them. It seems a little off,” she said.

Tracy Joline, left, of Tampa, Florida, works to schedule a new flight on Southwest Airlines on Dec. 27, 2022, after her prior flight was cancelled at Long Island MacArthur Airport in Ronkonkoma, New York.

James Carbone/Newsday RM via Getty Images


Danielle Zanin vowed never to fly Southwest again after it took four days, several canceled flights and sleeping in the airport before she, her husband and their two young children got home to Illinois from Albuquerque, New Mexico. They made stops at airports in Denver and Phoenix and reached Chicago only after ditching Southwest and paying $1,400 for four one-way tickets on American Airlines.

“I remember saying, ‘Oh my God, we’re getting on a plane!’ I was honestly shocked because I thought we were stuck in airports forever,” she said.

Zanin plans to ask Southwest to be reimbursed for part of their original tickets plus the new ones on American, and extra spending on rental cars, parking, an Uber ride and food — about $2,000 in all.

“I don’t have good faith that they will do much of anything,” she said.



Read original article here

Business

Southwest Airlines cancels thousands of flights after winter snowstorm

Leave a comment

The winter storm that disrupted thousands of travel plans over the weekend has created an epic pile-on of flight cancellations for Southwest Airlines, leaving thousands of families stranded, with some waiting for days to fly back home. 

Two-thirds of Southwest’s flights had been canceled as of Monday afternoon, according to flight-tracking website FlightAware — far more than any other airline. With some 2,700 Southwest flights canceled, another 700 were delayed Monday, FlightAware found.  

On Monday afternoon, the board at Dallas Love Field, the airline’s main hub, showed every single arrival had been canceled, according to reporter Kelly Laco.

The airline canceled more than 1,600 flights on Sunday, and 1,300 each day last week on Thursday and Friday.

The federal Department of Transportation on Monday said it would investigate the meltdown, saying it was “concerned by Southwest Airlines’ disproportionate and unacceptable rate of cancellations and delays as well as the failure to properly support customers experiencing a cancellation or delay.” 

“As more information becomes available the Department will closely examine whether cancellations were controllable and whether Southwest is complying with its customer service plan as well as all other pertinent DOT rules,” the department said in a statement.

Traveler Michael Bauzon and his family planned on flying out of Orlando International Airport on Friday to return home to Indianapolis in time for Christmas on Sunday. Instead, the four spent the holidays in a hotel after their flight was canceled, Bauzon told CBS affiliate WKMG, and were back at the airport on Monday — where they continued to wait.

“This morning we got here at 4:30 for a 7:05 flight, we looked it up, and oh it had just been canceled,” he said, gesturing to a line snaking in front of the Southwest service counter. “It’s a four- to five-hour line … before they can get us on a flight — if they can get us on a flight,” he said.

Widespread storm, outdated tech

In a statement Monday that opened with “heartfelt apologies,” Southwest said that its geography made it “uniquely” vulnerable to the storm, with half of the airports in which it flies affected by winter weather.

“We were fully staffed and prepared for the approaching holiday weekend when the severe weather swept across the continent, where Southwest is the largest carrier in 23 of the top 25 travel markets in the U.S. This forced daily changes to our flight schedule at a volume and magnitude that still has the tools our teams use to recover the airline operating at capacity,” the statement said. 

“We anticipate additional changes with an already reduced level of flights as we approach the coming New Year holiday travel period,” it noted. 

The company also blames a lack of technology. “Part of what we’re suffering is a lack of tools. We’ve talked an awful lot about modernizing the operation, and the need to do that,” CEO Bob Jordan said in an internal message on Sunday that was reported by several media outlets and the flight attendants’ union.

Jammed phone lines, systems

Southwest directed customers away from jammed phone lines, noting that it was experiencing “system issues” amid elevated demand.

Spokesperson Chris Perry said the airline’s online booking and check-in systems are still operating, but were also jammed because of “abnormally high” volumes of traffic on their site. “We are re-accommodating as many Customers as possible based on available space,” he told CBS News.

As Southwest blamed technological issues, the flight attendants’ union, Transit Workers Union 556, accused the airline of contributing to the problem by underinvesting in technology for years.

“The lack of technology has left the airline relying on manual solutions and personal phone calls, leaving flight attendants on hold with Southwest Airlines for up to 17 hours at a time simply to be released to go home after their trip, or while attempting to secure a hotel room or know where their next trip will be,” the union said in a statement. “While reroutes and rescheduling are understood to be a part of the job in the airline industry, the massive scale of the failure over the past few days points to a shirking of responsibility over many years for investing in and implementing technology that could help solve for many of the issues that plague flight attendants and passengers alike.”

The union and airline have been in contract negotiations for four years. 

— With reporting by Zel Elvi, Kathryn Krupnik and Kris Van Cleave.



Read original article here

US

Flight tracker: Southwest Airlines flights canceled at Midway leaving thousands of travelers stranded due to Winter Storm Elliott

Leave a comment

CHICAGO (WLS) — Holiday travelers continue to deal with flight delays and cancellations from a nearly week-long winter storm, especially those flying Southwest Airlines.

What can I do if my flight is canceled, delayed? How to prepare for likely 2022 holiday travel mess

Southwest had canceled an unprecedented 2,601 flights nationwide, or 64% of all their Monday flights, ABC News reported. Phone lines have crashed due to the sheer volume of calls.

Luggage has continued to pile up at Midway’s baggage claim, where hundreds of bags form a sea of luggage as far as the eye can see. But few are there to retrieve them. Bags are flying without their owners, and have been for days.

“Guess I should have just had a backpack ’cause now they’re telling me the flight got canceled because they said there’s not enough help, not enough stewardesses to manage a full flight. Now we’re trying to recover our luggage but they’re saying our luggage is going to the destination, to Raleigh Durham without us,” said John Ruh, whose flight was canceled.

“I left New Orleans two and a half days ago. Cancelled. Delayed. Cancelled. Delayed. Cancelled,” said Carolyn Irving, who was trying to find her bags. “Hopefully I can find my luggage because medication is in it. Gifts are in it. But you call, nobody’s picking up.”

Unlike other airlines, Southwest often flies point to point. Right now their planes are scattered in all the wrong places after last weeks’ winter storm, which impacted not just their Midway hub but Denver as well.

Southwest captain and union president Casey Murray told ABC News the situation was “catastrophic.”

“It’s been a failure at every level at Southwest. Our pilots, our front line employees have worked under enormous stress to try to get our passengers from A to B, but we were dealt a really bad hand as far as Southwest is concerned,” Murray said.

The flight attendant union also released a statement, saying in part, “Southwest Airlines has failed its employees once again, the result of years of refusal to modernize operations, notes TWU Local 556, the union of Southwest Airlines flight attendants. And this time, it’s on Christmas.”

Southwest issued a statement addressing the situation, writing in part, “We are still experiencing disruptions across our network as a result of Winter Storm Elliott’s lingering effects on the totality of our operation. With the weather now considerably more favorable, we continue work to stabilize and improve our operation.

“We are re-accommodating as many Customers as possible, based on available space, whose itineraries have been disrupted. Those whose flights have been canceled may request a full refund or receive a flight credit, which does not expire.”

But according to one industry expert, passengers today may be entitled to more than that.

“Make sure you save those receipts because you’re going to want to submit those to Southwest after the fact to see about getting your hotel, your meal, your taxi ride reimbursed, especially because it seems as though this is not a wave of cancellations that is weather-related the way it was earlier in the week,” said Scott Kelly of Scott’s Cheap Flights.

The lines to check your bag Monday morning were so long, Menda Speckels and her kids missed their flight back to Texas.

“We got here at 3:30 for a 5:20 flight. And the lines were just insane,” she said.

It’s been a nightmare for folks traveling over the Christmas holiday.

Hundreds of flights canceled each day out of O’Hare and Midway. Thousands, canceled or delayed nationwide.

And Monday is sadly no different.

“Got stuck here,” Ayana Ortiz said. “Flight got canceled so now we’re just hanging around waiting to see if they will re-book us.”

Ortiz woke up early, got here at 3:45 a.m. and found out their flight was cancelled.

“A little frustrating,” she said. “We chose the early flight in order to get back sooner and get in bed. But it didn’t turn out that way.”

Perhaps in worst shape, though, is Anna Kang. She’s been trying to fly to San Diego since Sunday afternoon out of O’Hare.

“Two flights got canceled,” she said. “I waited in line for about an hour and a half to book another flight at the other airport. So I went from O’Hare to Midway.”

Only to have her flight cancelled here at Midway Sunday night, too.

“We found that out at about 1 o’clock this morning,” Kang said. “So I’ve been up all night since yesterday. Here? Here. I’ve been here since yesterday around 8 p.m. last night.”

Hit particularly hard was Southwest Airlines. That’s evident at Midway, with Southwest seeing the longest lines at ticketing.

Frustrated passengers are now resorting to Plan B.

“So now we’re driving back to Austin,” Speckels said. “Seventeen hours. I was able to find a rental car. There was not many, but I was able to find one. So we’re going to start back here in a minute I guess. Because there were just no flights? No. None at all.”

The Chicago Department of Aviation released a statement saying, “At the Chicago Department of Aviation (CDA), the highest priority is to create a safe, secure and efficient environment for passengers and employees.

“With the support of Mayor Lori E. Lightfoot and CDA Commissioner Jamie L.Rhee, CDA staff, and partners at the airlines and the FAA, Chicago’s airports support increased passenger volume over the holiday travel period.

“Passengers should check flight status with their airline in advance of coming to the airports.”

Cook County Radar | DuPage County Radar | Will County Radar | Lake County Radar (IL) | Kane County Radar | Northwest Indiana Radar

Copyright © 2022 WLS-TV. All Rights Reserved.

Read original article here

US

Airlines cancel 17,000 flights due to severe winter weather but disruptions ease

Leave a comment

Aircraft are deiced at General Mitchell International Airport in Milwaukee

Reuters

Flight cancellations eased further on Monday but disruptions from severe winter weather across the U.S. lingered at the tail end of Christmas weekend.

Airlines have canceled more than 17,000 U.S. flights since Wednesday, according to FlightAware, as storms brought snow, ice, high winds and bitter cold around the country, derailing air travel from coast to coast. Those conditions slowed down ground crews as they faced severe conditions at airports.

Carriers are likely to detail the costs of the disruptions when they report results next month, if not earlier.

Southwest Airlines was especially hit hard by the winter storms over the holiday travel period, along with other issues including unexpected fog in San Diego and staffing shortages at a fuel vendor in Denver, the carrier’s chief operating officer told staff.

Southwest had been canceling many flights proactively in an effort to stabilize its operation, COO Andrew Watterson said. From Wednesday through Saturday, about a quarter of Southwest’s flights were canceled, and two-thirds were delayed, according to FlightAware data.

The airline apologized to employees for the chaos, which left many struggling to get a hold of crew scheduling services, making it harder to get reassignments or make other changes, or get hotel rooms. Southwest also offered flight attendants working over the holiday extra pay.

“Part of what we’re suffering is a lack of tools,” Southwest CEO Bob Jordan said in a message to staff on Sunday. “We’ve talked an awful lot about modernizing the operation, and the need to do that. And Crew Scheduling is one of the places that we need to invest in. We need to be able to produce solutions faster.”

Airlines often cancel flights proactively during bad weather to avoid having planes, crews and customers out of place, problems that can make recovery from a storm more difficult.

Carriers also planned smaller schedules for Christmas Eve and Christmas Day compared with the days leading up to the holidays, making it harder for them to rebook travelers on other flights, and bookings had spiked.

Passengers check in at the Delta counter at Detroit Metro Airport in Romulus, Michigan, on December 22, 2022. 

Jeff Kowalsky | AFP | Getty Images

On Monday, more than 1,700 flights were canceled and 2,200 more were delayed, down from nearly 3,200 canceled flights and 7,700 delayed U.S. flights on Sunday.

Delta Air Lines, American Airlines, United Airlines, JetBlue Airways and Alaska Airlines were among the other carriers affected by the weather.

An American Airlines spokeswoman said the “vast majority of our customers affected by cancellations were able to be reaccommodated.”

Delta is “seeing steady recovery in our operations, and expect the improvements to continue over the next several hours,” a spokesman said Monday.

Passengers also faced delayed luggage, however.

Bill Weaver, 41, said he, his wife and five children drove from Wichita, Kansas to Dallas Fort Worth International Airport for a Friday flight to Cancun after their connecting flight into the American Airlines hub was canceled. The American Airlines flight to Cancun arrived on time but their luggage didn’t get to in Cancun until Monday, and hadn’t made it to their hotel by mid-morning, so they had to spend hundreds of dollars to buy clothing and other essentials at their hotel.

Weaver, who works in software sales, said he used to travel frequently.

“I’m used to missing bags and things happen but this is by far the worst I’ve ever seen,” he said.

Extreme cold and high winds slowed ground operations at dozens of airports. More than half of U.S.-based airlines’ flights arrived late from Thursday through Saturday, with delays averaging 81 minutes, according to FlightAware.

“Temperatures have fallen so low that our equipment and infrastructure have been impacted, from frozen lav systems and fuel hoses to broken tow bars,” said United Airlines message to pilots on Saturday. “Pilots have encountered frozen locks when trying to re-enter the jet bridge after conducting walk arounds.”

The FAA said it had to evacuate its tower at United hub Newark Liberty International Airport in New Jersey because of a leak on Saturday.

JetBlue, meantime, offered flight attendants triple pay to pick up trips on Christmas Eve due to staffing shortages.

Read original article here