Southwest Airlines Releases a Statement and Resolution For Passengers

Southwest Airlines is having a difficult time getting back in the air. CEO Bob Jordan released a video statement.

Southwest Airlines

Just days before Christmas, the Orlando Airport experienced dozens of cancelations and hundreds of delays. Those numbers have gotten exponentially worse from one airline: Southwest.

The large storm that affected most of the country just a few days before Christmas is to blame for the original delays and cancellations. However, Southwest’s outdated technology is making it almost impossible to recover like other airlines have.

It has had a domino effect that continues days after the original storm. Many travelers around the country report that Southwest is canceling flights through the end of this week leading up to New Years.

Statement from CEO

Southwest Airlines CEO Bob Jordan has released a video statement to employees and customers. In this statement he apologizes for what everyone is going through. He states, “And please also hear that I’m truly sorry.”

He explains a piece of why Southwest is struggling to get back on track. Stating that they schedule flights around communities and not hubs. He continues:

“We’re focused on safely getting all of the pieces back into position to end this rolling struggle. You know, I have nothing but pride and respect for the efforts of the people of Southwest who are showing up in every way. The tools we use to recover from disruption serve us well, 99 percent of the time; but clearly, we need to double down on our already existing plans to upgrade systems for these extreme circumstances so that we never again face what’s happening right now.

I’m apologizing to them daily and they’ll be hearing more about our specific plans to ensure the challenges that they’ve faced the past few days will not be part of our future. I reached out to Secretary Buttigieg earlier today to continue the discussions we’ve been having with the DOT through the holiday – sharing all the things that we’re doing to make things right for our Customers.

We always take care of our Customers. And we will lean in and go above and beyond as they would expect us to. Teams are working on all of that: processing refunds, proactively reaching out and taking care of Customers who are dealing with costly detours and reroutes, as just a few examples. Our plan for the next few days is to fly a reduced schedule and reposition our people and planes, and we’re making headway and we’re optimistic to be back on track before next week.

We have some real work to do in making this right. For now, I want you to know that we’re committed to that.”

See the full video below:

What Can Customers Do Now?

Were your flights cancelled because of this system breakdown? Trying to get through to Southwest has been reported as almost impossible.

Southwest has since added a self-service option. Here you can check flight status, rebook flights or request a refund. Click HERE to get to this self-service option.

A self-service option is now available.

I am hopeful that Southwest will get back on track and be able to fly the skies like they used to again. I know many of us use this airline regularly when needing to travel. Stay safe, crew!

Are you affected by these cancellations? What do you think of the CEO’s statement? Let us know on the Kenny the Pirate Facebook page. Don’t forget to join the KtP crew page, too!