According to November 2022 passenger numbers released by the airport, 34% of all inbound and outbound Las Vegas passengers flew Southwest last month. Other airlines were impacted, but none more so than Southwest.įor Harry Reid International Airport (LAS) in Las Vegas, disruptions were especially magnified since Southwest is its largest carrier. Pilots, flight attendants, suitcases, bags, and passengers were all displaced far from intended destinations. The turmoil began as a massive winter storm pounded the eastern portion of the US last week just as the busy Christmas travel period began. The authoritative record of NPR’s programming is the audio record.Las Vegas (KSNV) - Southwest Airlines is the target of scorn and condemnation following days of widespread flight cancellations that stranded thousands, ruined holidays, and caused the loss of countless luggage. This text may not be in its final form and may be updated or revised in the future. NPR transcripts are created on a rush deadline by an NPR contractor. Visit our website terms of use and permissions pages at for further information. Joe Hernandez, NPR News.Ĭopyright © 2023 NPR. You should also check the weather forecast, Henderson says, and have a backup plan just in case you get stranded.

Download your airline's app to your smartphone. HERNANDEZ: If you are flying for the holidays, Henderson says, there are a few things you can do ahead of time to ensure you have a smoother trip. HENDERSON: Consumers are really price-conscious more than they are sort of looking away from an airline over issues that they've had in the past. Henderson says many travelers won't hold a grudge against an airline, even if they say otherwise.

The airline says it has a higher percentage of seats booked for this December's holiday period than it did last year. HERNANDEZ: Still, customers appear ready to fly with Southwest again. HENDERSON: I'm just not sure everything's going to be in place if there's a big meltdown like there was last year. HERNANDEZ: That's Clint Henderson, managing editor of the travel website The Points Guy. The airline said it also updated its crew scheduling systems after workers who were manually modifying schedules last December got overwhelmed by the flood of cancellations.ĬLINT HENDERSON: They are making a lot of moves to try to get ahead of this for Christmas. HERNANDEZ: To better prepare for ice and snow, Southwest bought new de-icing trucks and other equipment and increased staff at airports in colder climates. So preparing to prevent something like that from happening again was and is an imperative. We have a lot of pride based on our 50-plus year history. Here's Southwest Airlines chief operating officer Andrew Watterson talking about the December chaos on a recent earnings call.ĪNDREW WATTERSON: It weighs heavily on all of us here at Southwest Airlines. With Thanksgiving and the December holidays fast approaching, the company now says it's ready for the year-end rush. But as other airlines recovered, Southwest suffered a series of technical setbacks that led to a wave of delays and cancellations. A major blizzard snarled travel across the U.S. Southwest Airlines ended up canceling more than 16,000 flights over a 10-day period last December. HERNANDEZ: Cornelius ultimately took a Greyhound bus back to Denver, getting there five days after she was originally scheduled to be home.

Baggage claims overflowed, customer service lines clogged up and many would-be flyers were left stuck in the airport.ĮMILY CORNELIUS: We either felt trapped in the airport, or we were spending money that we don't know if we're going to get back on options to be outside of the airport. By then, Southwest Airlines was in the midst of a major holiday meltdown. She spent the night with a friend, rebooked for a couple days later - then that flight got canceled, too. JOE HERNANDEZ, BYLINE: Last Christmas Eve, Emily Cornelius was on her way back to Denver after visiting family when she landed in Chicago for a layover and her flight got canceled. Now Southwest says it's better prepared to handle severe weather.

Last December, an estimated 2 million Southwest Airlines customers were stranded after a blizzard led to technical problems at the airline. The holidays are approaching, and for many people, that means hopping on a plane to visit family or friends.

Southwest airlines crew