Ready in an airport customer support line for hours to speak to a consultant who in the end couldn’t assist. Spending half the day on maintain to achieve an agent. Having to sleep whereas leaning towards a suitcase in the midst of a busy terminal. And at last having the ability to rebook a flight just for it to be days away.
They’re among the many worst-case situations for vacationers when flying. And in some notable situations, seemingly routine occasions like extreme climate or technological points can careen uncontrolled, leaving hundreds of individuals stranded and feeling helpless.
It has been the destiny of many Southwest passengers this week, because the airline struggled to recuperate from a winter storm that affected a lot of the USA. 1000’s of Southwest flights have been delayed or canceled in latest days, excess of for different airways, and complaints on social media have portrayed the customer support response as severely missing.
Right here’s a take a look at just a few different notable airline meltdowns that left passengers stranded and pissed off.
April 2017: A storm topples Delta
Delta canceled more than 3,500 flights over 5 days when storms hit Atlanta, the provider’s essential hub, creating a cascading effect because the airline struggled to satisfy its staffing wants and rebook passengers.
Thunderstorms lasted only a few hours in Atlanta, however they wreaked havoc on Delta’s staffing schedule throughout the nation. The airline’s supply of free pizza lifted hundreds of stranded clients’ moods solely barely.
June 2021: Technological issues down Southwest
The primary night time, an issue with climate information prevented Southwest from flying safely. The subsequent day, extra technological issues, described as failures in “community connectivity,” plagued the airline, forcing it to cancel or delay half of its flights.
The disrupted flights continued for days whereas the airline recovered, coming at a time when demand for journey started growing as coronavirus restrictions had been eased.
October 2021: A foul weekend for Southwest
Longstanding plans — together with these of some Boston Marathon runners — had been scuttled when Southwest canceled greater than 1,800 flights over one weekend. It started with “climate challenges in our Florida airports,” and was compounded by “surprising air site visitors management points in the identical area,” the airline mentioned.
It was exacerbated by the airline operating fewer flights than earlier than the pandemic, the airline mentioned.
July 2022: Misplaced luggage pile up at Heathrow
Staffing shortages at Heathrow Airport in London, together with surging demand and a baggage system malfunction, brought about hundreds of baggage to go lacking. At one level, Delta crammed a aircraft certain for Detroit with 1,000 pieces of stranded luggage to assist reunite the luggage with their homeowners throughout the USA.
The airport would curb the variety of departing passengers till September, nevertheless it nonetheless struggled with lengthy strains and misplaced baggage.
