As Southwest Airlines spiraled out of control during its 16,700 cancellation holiday meltdown, so did the plans for passenger Brenda Angeles, pilot Seth Kornblum and flight attendant Kristen Loucks.
For Dallas business consultant Angeles, there was panic as Southwest canceled her flight and said another wouldn’t be available for five days. Kornblum raced against a clock as delay after delay wrenched his flying schedule. Loucks was helpless as she sat in an employee lounge at the Las Vegas airport while travelers fumed about more cancellations.
However it’s measured, the December 2022 holiday meltdown will go down as one of the biggest debacles in the 51-year history of Southwest Airlines. Nearly 3 million passengers had flight segments canceled. Southwest expects a $725 million to $825 million financial hit, including $300 flight credits to passengers, efforts to return luggage, bonus pay to employees and a massive blow to its reputation.
