Thousands of travellers are stranded at airports across the US as flight cancellations and delays continue to wreak havoc amid a deadly winter storm.
By mid-morning eastern time on Tuesday, more than 4,600 flights had been cancelled and over 1,600 delayed.
Over 60% of the cancellations were from hard-hit Southwest Airlines, which called off over 2,500 flights.
The chaos has left thousands of exasperated passengers sleeping in terminals as they search for solutions.
More than 3,500 flights scheduled to leave Wednesday have already been cancelled, with Southwest constituting about 70% of those cancellations, according to FlightAware.
In a tweet on Monday, the US Department of Transportation (DOT) said that it is “concerned by Southwest’s unacceptable rate of cancellations and delays [and] reports of lack of prompt customer service.”
Southwest, for its part, has repeatedly apologised and said the disruptions caused by the winter weather are “unacceptable”.
“Our heartfelt apologies for this are just beginning,” the airline said in a statement. “We’re working with safety at the forefront to urgently address wide-scale disruption by rebalancing the airline and repositioning crews and our fleet ultimately to best serve all who plan to travel with us.”
With flight cancellations and delays continuing, thousands of passengers have been left at airports across the country as they attempt to re-book flights or make alternative travel arrangements. Passengers in locations including Denver, Chicago and Washington DC reported hours-long queues to speak to customer service representatives.
According to the DOT’s website, most airlines will rebook passengers on the next flight to a passenger’s destination, provided that space is available. Passengers who wish to cancel their trip entirely are entitled to a full refund, even in cases in which they purchased non-refundable tickets.
A number of major North American airlines – including Southwest, American and Delta – have waived change fees for passengers who rebook during the storm.
Since 22 December, nearly 20,000 flights have been cancelled across the US, according to flight tracking service FlightAware.
More than 60 people have so far been reported dead as a result of the winter storm, including at least 28 in Buffalo, New York.
Source: BBC.COM