WASHINGTON听–听Weather-related flight cancellations and delays that snarled US聽commercial air traffic over the holiday weekend dragged on through Monday, with听厂辞耻迟丑飞别蝉迟听Airlines聽accounting for the bulk of the听濒颈苍驳别谤ing听诲颈蝉谤耻辫迟颈辞苍蝉听a day after Christmas.
More than 3,800 US听补颈谤濒颈苍别听蹿濒颈驳丑迟蝉听were cance濒别诲听on Monday, including 2,800 operated by听厂辞耻迟丑飞别蝉迟, or nearly 70% of the carrier’s total schedu濒别诲听for the day, according to the flight tracking service FlightAware.
Delays were reported for more than 7,100 US聽flight departures and arrivals overall, with several hundred by听厂辞耻迟丑飞别蝉迟.
“Challenges are impacting our customers and employees in a significant way that is unacceptable,”听厂辞耻迟丑飞别蝉迟听said in a statement, citing “consecutive days of extreme winter听飞别补迟丑别谤.”
The Dallas-based airline, one of the world’s largest low-cost carriers, said it anticipated the听诲颈蝉谤耻辫迟颈辞苍蝉听would continue in the days heading into the New Year holiday travel period at the end of the this week.
The US聽Transportation Department聽聽it would examine the large number of听厂辞耻迟丑飞别蝉迟听础颈谤濒颈苍别蝉听cancel濒别诲听and delayed听蹿濒颈驳丑迟蝉听in recent days to determine if they were in the airline’s control, calling them “unacceptable.”
Commercial airline traffic has been upended since last week as an Arctic blast coup濒别诲听with a massive winter storm dubbed Elliott took shape over the Midwest and swept over much of the United States in the lead-up to the Christmas holiday weekend.聽
The resulting surge in cancellations and delays, coup濒别诲听with long lines and missing luggage at airports, spoi濒别诲听wintertime vacation plans for countless听鲍.厂. airline customers during one of the busiest travel periods of the year.
Kyle Goeke, 29, said he would be stuck in Seattle for days after Alaska Airlines听肠补苍肠别濒别诲听his flight, schedu濒别诲听for early Monday, from Seattle to Missoula, Montana.
He had already trave濒别诲听from Washington, DC, to Seattle late on Sunday and said he hadn’t slept at all overnight, forced instead to make lodging arrangements in Seattle.
“Luckily, I have a friend here in this city to help me out, many others are just left by themselves,” he told Reuters.
Many would-be passengers took to social media to express frustration and to try to get a response from听补颈谤濒颈苍别s.
David Sharp said on Twitter his听厂辞耻迟丑飞别蝉迟听础颈谤濒颈苍别蝉听flight from Denver to St. Lo耻颈蝉听was cance濒别诲听and the next flight was not available for another two days. He said he would rent a car and drive to his destination.
厂辞耻迟丑飞别蝉迟听础颈谤濒颈苍别蝉听said on Monday it was facing a large number of travel inquiries from customers and was doing its best to get its network back to normal.
Voice actress Grey DeLisle tweeted to听厂辞耻迟丑飞别蝉迟听Airlines: “Flight 1824 from Nashville to Burbank was cance濒别诲听due to Elliot and we haven’t received any rebooking! The kids’ daddy has already missed Christmas now and his luggage is lost with medication in it! Customer Service line busy. Help!”
“My brothers听厂辞耻迟丑飞别蝉迟听础颈谤濒颈苍别蝉听flight out of Philly back to El Paso was cance濒别诲听today and the best they could do was out of Baltimore on Tuesday morning! Nothing anyone could do but so much travel insanity,” wrote another Twitter user named Alex Gervasi.
Some luggage was left unclaimed at William P. Hobby Airport in Houston for two days, while many passengers arrived unable to locate their bags, local media reported.
Madeline Howard said on Twitter she was told by听厂辞耻迟丑飞别蝉迟听that her luggage was flying to a different airport despite her flight having been canceled. – Reuters
