southwest travel disruption reimbursement

Is Southwest Still Canceling Flights? (And How to Make Sure You Get a Refund If Your Flight Was Canceled)

After scrapping more than 15,000 flights during the holidays, the airline addresses its current state of operations and what it’s doing to make things right for affected customers..

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Southwest Airlines experienced a total operational meltdown over the holiday travel season. Now, it wants to earn back travelers’ trust.

Last month, Northern California resident Joanne Marzan and her seven-year-old son took a short trip to Southern California to spend Christmas with Marzan’s family. Their return flight from Orange County to the Bay Area on Southwest Airlines was scheduled for Monday, December 26. That’s when their travel fiasco began.

“We got to the kiosk at John Wayne Airport, and it said our flight was canceled and to talk to an agent. The line was wrapped around the terminal and the customer-service phone line was a constant busy signal. So I immediately booked a rental car as backup in case I couldn’t rebook our flight. And I’m so glad I did. I never got through to Southwest. The rental company said I got lucky I got a car reservation since they were turning people away,” says Marzan.

Southwest was not the only airline affected by delays and cancellations this past holiday season. Disruptions swept the country in the lead-up to and over the December 25 holiday weekend due to severe winter storms and colder-than-average weather across much of the United States. But even as operations recovered at other major U.S. carriers, Southwest struggled to normalize operations and continued to cancel flights in the days following Christmas.

Ultimately, Southwest canceled more than 15,000 flights between Thursday, December 22, and Thursday, December 29, or more than half of its scheduled flights during that time frame, according to flight data tracking service FlightAware.

“We were one of the lucky ones having the option to drive back. I haven’t yet been able to connect with their customer-service team,” says Marzan, who is still hoping to get a reimbursement from Southwest for the car rental, which set her back $400 (the airline has promised refunds for canceled flights and reimbursements for travel expenses).

Marzan is not the only one who found themselves in a holiday travel “flightmare” after Southwest’s operations experienced a complete meltdown over Christmas weekend and in the days after.

Mae Hamilton, an assistant editor at AFAR and a self-proclaimed “loyal Southwest customer,” also endured holiday flight disruptions when she and her husband attempted to fly from Los Angeles to Dallas for Christmas.

They flew out of Los Angeles International Airport on December 22, when the first signs of trouble arose. “An announcement was made on the overhead speaker that the ground crew was having trouble locating one last flight attendant. Their scheduling program was malfunctioning and they were forced to use the much slower method of calling the company to locate the last crew member,” recalls Hamilton.

The flight ended up taking off only 30 minutes after its originally scheduled departure time, and Hamilton said she “figured that would probably be the end of it.”

But a few days before their flight home on December 28, when they started to see headlines about the massive Southwest disruptions that were leaving countless customers stranded, “We realized we would probably not be leaving Dallas on Southwest at all and quickly tried to book another flight home. We managed to find another on American Airlines, but it was a few days out from when we had originally intended to leave, and [the flights] were very pricey. Thankfully, we were staying with family so it was not a problem to stay a few extra days longer than we had intended,” says Hamilton.

Hamilton has submitted the additional expenses for the American flights to Southwest for reimbursement and is awaiting correspondence regarding any recompense from the airline.

Federal regulators have vowed a rigorous review of what happened at Southwest, with all eyes on outdated crew-scheduling technology that left flight crews out of place after storms hit, essentially shutting down almost all of the carrier’s operations.

“Here’s why this giant puzzle is taking us several days to solve,” Southwest CEO Bob Jordan said in a statement issued on December 27. “Our network is highly complex and the operation of the airline counts on all the pieces, especially aircraft and crews remaining in motion to where they’re planned to go.”

Jordan added that the carrier has been focused on getting “all of the pieces back into position to end this rolling struggle …. 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.”

Is Southwest still canceling flights?

Thankfully, Southwest returned to a relatively normal flight schedule on Friday, December 30, and the carrier states on its website that it has currently resumed its “full schedule of flights with minimal interruptions.”

Southwest only canceled about 1 percent of its flights over the New Year’s weekend, according to data provided by FlightAware.

How to make sure you get a refund

With its operations normalized, Southwest is now focused on making things right for the more than 1 million travelers estimated to have been affected by last week’s disruptions.

The company said in a statement that it is working on a “multi-faceted plan to win back trust and repair relationships with those who count on Southwest to come through.”

Here are some of the avenues for obtaining refunds, reimbursements, and other methods of recourse established by the carrier.

A dedicated website

Southwest has set up a dedicated website with information about the holiday flight disruptions: southwest.com/traveldisruption .

Flight refunds

For those whose flights were canceled or significantly delayed for travel that was scheduled to take place between December 24, 2022, and January 2, 2023, you may request a refund (not just a future flight credit) through an online form .

Reimbursement for travel expenses

To submit a reimbursement request for expenses incurred due to a flight cancellation or significant flight delay for travel that was scheduled to take place between December 24, 2022, and January 2, 2023, Southwest is asking customers to fill out an email form (make sure to select “Expense Reimbursement Request”). Travelers should attach copies of their expenses to the email form for review. Southwest stated that it will honor “reasonable requests for meals, hotel accommodations, and alternate transportation (for example: rental cars and tickets on other airlines).”

Tracking lost luggage

Those trying to locate lost luggage should fill out a dedicated online form , which includes the option to have the baggage delivered to a designated address.

“We intend nearly all baggage delayed during the recent holiday travel week to be shipped or delivered by midweek,” Southwest said in a statement issued on January 3.

Improving customer relations

Starting January 3, Southwest is reaching out via email “to every ticketed customer significantly impacted last week,” the carrier stated in its latest update.

“Our teams are focused on returning baggage, processing requests for refunds, and reimbursing certain incidental expenses related to the disruption in travel in a round-the-clock effort,” Southwest stated.

The plan to “make sure that this never happens again”

The U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) is currently investigating what happened at Southwest. A Senate committee promises to investigate, too. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg, who has criticized airlines for previous disruptions, said that “meltdown” was the only word he could think of to describe last week’s events at Southwest.

For its part, Southwest stated that “the urgent work continues on planned improvements to processes and systems that will bolster the ability of Southwest to recover effectively in large-scale disruptions of our operational plans.”

In an interview on Good Morning America on December 30, Southwest CEO Jordan acknowledged the challenges ahead for the carrier in order to recover from the holiday travel collapse.

“This has impacted so many people, so many customers over the holidays. It’s impacted our employees. And I’m extremely sorry for that. There’s just no way almost to apologize enough,” said Jordan, adding, that “there’ll be a lot of lessons learned in terms of what we can do to make sure that this never happens again, because this needs to never happen again.”

Associated Press contributed reporting.

How to get a refund from Southwest after the 2022 holiday travel disruption

Editor's Note

Were your big holiday travel plans canceled, delayed or otherwise disrupted due to Southwest's operational meltdown ? If so, you're not alone.

Dec. 30, 2022, marked the first day since Christmas that Southwest Airlines didn't cancel a double-digit percentage of its flights, a number that CEO Bob Jordan attributed to "an unprecedented storm for all airlines" in an interview with "Good Morning America." More than 15,000 Southwest flights were canceled, leaving thousands more travelers in the lurch during the year's busiest travel season.

Even so, Department of Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg disputed this, tweeting that the Southwest cancellations were "not weather related," and as such, the company is required to cover not only the cost of airfare but of meals, transportation and hotels if you were stranded away from home.

Despite its original statement, the Fort Worth, Texas-based airline has pledged to refund its customers for canceled flights and expenses such as rental cars, hotels and airfare booked through other airlines. Other costs will be handled on a case-by-case basis, per the airline.

If you were one of the thousands stranded, here's how you can get your money back.

How do I get a refund from Southwest Airlines?

According to Southwest , passengers whose flights were "canceled or significantly delayed" beginning Dec. 24, 2022, through Jan. 2, 2023, are eligible to request a refund of their unused ticket to the original form of payment.

To do so, complete an online form with your name and reservation confirmation number, after which you should expect to promptly receive your refund.

"Under the law, Southwest must provide prompt refunds when a carrier cancels a passenger's flight or makes a significant change in the flight, regardless of the reason, unless the passenger accepts rebooking," Buttigieg said in a Dec. 29 letter to Southwest . "This means Southwest must provide refunds within seven business days if a passenger paid by credit card, and within 20 days if a passenger paid by cash, check, or other means."

After Southwest canceled a Dec. 30 flight from Kahului Airport (OGG) to Kona International Airport (KOA), TPG senior aviation reporter Zach Griff submitted a reimbursement form to the airline for the $149 ticket he bought on a new flight.

Less than three hours later, Southwest refunded his alternate fare and also provided him with a $250 voucher to use for a future flight.

If you were separated from your luggage or other belongings during travel, you can also fill out a separate form to address that.

Additionally, Southwest is sending 25,000 bonus Rapid Rewards points to travelers affected by the meltdown. These points are included in an apology email with the subject line "A message from Southwest CEO Bob Jordan."

Be sure to monitor your email for your codes.

Request reimbursement for expenses

Southwest will also honor "reasonable requests for reimbursement for meals, hotel accommodations, and alternate transportation (for example: rental cars and tickets on other airlines)" incurred by cancellations, per its website. For those costs, email Southwest directly with your request and attach copies of your expenses for review.

How long for a Southwest refund?

We don't yet know how long it will take Southwest to process all the refunds, but we will update the story as we get more information.

If you've filed your complaint and are still waiting after a few weeks, you might consider filing a consumer complaint with the Department of Transportation. The DOT requires airlines to acknowledge consumer complaints within 30 days of receiving them and send consumers written responses within 60 days.

Check your credit card for travel protections

After you've communicated your issues to the airline directly, remember that several credit cards also offer travel insurance protections for trip delays , baggage delays , trip cancellations and trip interruptions for just these types of situations.

Should you run into issues receiving reimbursement for your expenses from Southwest, check to see if the credit card you used to book your flight offers any travel insurance protections.

Bottom line

If you were one of the thousands stranded by Southwest this holiday season, follow the above steps to ensure you get your money back.

After that: Sit tight. Southwest has said it's experiencing a backlog of complaints, and it unfortunately could take a while for all issues to get sorted out.

For more advice on handling flight delays and cancelations, read:

• What you can ask from an airline after a delayed or canceled flight
• Winter is here: Your flight is canceled or delayed – here's what you should do next
• Flight delayed or canceled? Here are the best credit cards with trip delay reimbursement
• Can I get flight delay compensation? These are the ways you qualify
• Flight delayed? Remember these 4 things if you want trip delay reimbursement from your credit card
• All the airlines' flight delay and compensation policies from DOT's customer service dashboard

Additional reporting by Caroline Tanner.

Southwest Airlines refunds: How to submit a reimbursement claim due to impacted travel

Southwest cancellations, delays frustrate oia travelers.

Most airlines are averaging about a 5% cancellation rate right now. Southwest Airlines is sitting at 70%, and for those who are dealing with Southwest, they aren’t up against an annoying or inconvenient but short delay. Some, like Loretta Moore, could be stranded for up to a week.

ORLANDO, Fla. - Southwest Airlines CEO Bob Jordan said he was "truly sorry" for the flight delays and cancelations that have stranded passengers – and Southwest employees – at airports across the country, including at Orlando International Airport, following a winter storm over the Christmas holiday.

"I want everyone who is dealing with the problems we've been facing, whether you haven't been able to get to where you need to go or you’re one of our heroic Employees caught up in a massive effort to stabilize the airline, to know is that we're doing everything we can to return to a normal operation," he said in a video posted Tuesday night to Southwest's website.

"And please also hear that I'm truly sorry," he said.

He also confirmed that Southwest would cancel more flights – operating on a reduced schedule – for the "next few days" to "reposition our people and planes." He's hopeful that Southwest would be "back on track before next week."

Still, for many passengers stranded at airports, many have had to extend hotel stays, buy flights on other airlines, or rent a car to get back home – all added expenses.

'We're stuck': Family with wheelchair-bound son stuck in Florida after Southwest flight canceled

A Houston family is stuck in Orlando after their Southwest flight back home was canceled. They are now facing additional mobility issues because they're traveling with and 80-year-old grandfather and their quadriplegic son.

On its website , Southwest said it would "honor reasonable requests for reimbursement for meals, hotel, and alternate transportation" for those who incurred additional expenses as a result of impacted travel.

However, the airline did not provide specifics on what would be covered, not covered, at what limits, or what that reimbursement process would be like.

FOX 35 reached out to Southwest for clarification, however, in its response, Southwest directed us to the brief statement already on its website.

How to submit a flight refund request to Southwest

Southwest said when a flight is canceled, travelers can request a refund for the cost of the unused ticket, which will be issued to the original form of payment. To request a flight refund, travelers can visit Southwest.com , and submit their confirmation number, first name, and last name.

How to submit a reimbursement claim to Southwest

Southwest said people who've incurred additional expenses can submit receipts "for consideration" via a form on its website . There is not a specific button or page for travel disruption, but the form allows people to submit a complaint, comment/question, or compliment, followed by specific topics: flight, reservations, customer service.

People should be prepared with images of receipts for expenses, flight information, and contact information:

• Flight and event date
• Flight number
• Confirmation number
• Origin city
• Destination city

"We're sorry if you were inconvenienced by a flight cancellation. Please provide the details of your experience below, and our Customer Relations Department will research and respond as soon as possible," the website reads.

In his video message, CEO Bob Jordan said: "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."

Flight Disruption Policy

Are accommodation stays, activities, and/or ground transportation booked as part of a Southwest Vacations ® trip refundable?

The right to a refund is limited and will be determined in conjunction with the terms and conditions listed in the  Southwest Vacations Terms and Conditions

In the event that your flight itinerary has been disrupted by an event that does not qualify as a Force Majeure Event as defined in the Southwest Airlines Co.  Contract of Carriage  (such flight disruption, herein defined as the "Flight Disruption"), you may be eligible for a full or partial refund of your unused accommodation, ground transportation, and activities arrangements booked for the same trip through Southwest Vacations.

Am I eligible to receive a refund for my Southwest Vacations booking if Southwest disrupts my flight itinerary?

Southwest cares about your peace of mind. You may be eligible for a full or partial refund of your unused accommodation, ground transportation, and activities arrangements booked for the same trip through Southwest Vacations if Southwest Airlines disrupts your flight itinerary.

In the event that your flight itinerary has been disrupted by an event that does not qualify as a Force Majeure Event as provided for in the Southwest Airlines Co.  Contract of Carriage  and as determined by Southwest in its sole discretion (such flight disruption, herein defined as the "Flight Disruption"), you may be eligible for a full or partial refund of your unused accommodation, ground transportation, and activities arrangements booked for the same trip through Southwest Vacations.

Your eligibility to receive a full or partial refund of your unused accommodation, ground transportation, and activities arrangements will be determined in conjunction with the terms and conditions listed herein.

How do I request a refund for my Southwest Vacations purchase if I am eligible to receive a refund due to a flight disruption?

If your flight itinerary has been disrupted by an event that does not qualify as a Force Majeure Event as provided for in the Southwest Airlines Co.  Contract of Carriage  and as determined by Southwest in its sole discretion (such flight disruption, herein defined as the “Flight Disruption”), to receive a full or partial refund of the non-refundable costs you paid for unused accommodation, ground transportation, and activities arrangements, you must submit your refund request to Southwest Vacations Customer care, no later than 90 days after the scheduled departure date, or any payments and deposits shall be forfeited. Your refund request must contain the following information: Customer name, Southwest Airlines confirmation number, Southwest Vacations confirmation number, and original scheduled date of departure.

If you booked a trip through Southwest Vacations, please call Southwest Vacations Customer care at 833-446-7335. Business hours are: Monday - Friday 8:00 am - 9:00 pm CST, Saturday 10:00 am - 6:00 pm CST, Sunday 10:00 am - 6:00 pm CST.

Will I still receive Rapid Rewards points if I get a refund due to a flight disruption?

Rapid Rewards points will only be awarded for the portion of the trip that is paid for and completed by the Customer. Air travel on Southwest Airlines and any cancellations related to such air travel are governed by Southwest Airlines Co.  Contract of Carriage . Any add-ons purchased for your trip other than accommodations, activities and/or ground transpiration are not eligible for a refund.

What are the terms and conditions of the Southwest Vacations Flight Disruption Policy?

In the event that your flight itinerary has been disrupted by an event that does not qualify as a Force Majeure Event as provided for in the Southwest Airlines Co.  Contract of Carriage  and as determined by Southwest in its sole discretion (such flight disruption, herein defined as the “Flight Disruption”), you may be eligible for a full or partial refund of your unused accommodation, ground transportation, and activities arrangements booked for the same trip through Southwest Vacations.

Your eligibility to receive a full or partial refund of your unused accommodation, ground transportation, and activities arrangements will be determined in conjunction with the terms and conditions listed herein. Once the Flight Disruption occurs, to receive a full or partial refund of the non-refundable costs you paid for unused accommodation, ground transportation, and activities arrangements, you must submit your refund request to Southwest Vacations Customer care, no later than 90 days after the scheduled departure date, or any payments and deposits shall be forfeited. Your refund request must contain the following information: Customer name, Southwest Airlines confirmation number, Southwest Vacations confirmation number, and original scheduled date of departure.

If you booked a trip through Southwest Vacations, please call Southwest Vacations Customer care at 833-446-7335. Business hours are: Monday - Friday 8:00 am - 9:00 pm CST, Saturday 10:00 am - 6:00 pm CST, Sunday 10:00 am - 6:00 pm CST. Refunds will be processed to the original form of payment.

Southwest passengers now get a $75 voucher for big flight disruptions

Southwest Airlines has launched a new compensation fund for inconvenienced fliers, offering $75 vouchers to passengers whose flights are significantly delayed or canceled for a reason within the airline’s control.

The compensation fund is part of the airline’s $140 million settlement with the Transportation Department, following Southwest’s operational meltdown in December 2022. A mix of winter weather, holiday travel and failing Southwest scheduling systems resulted in nearly 17,000 canceled or significantly delayed flights, affecting 2 million passengers. Southwest agreed to pay the government $35 million and create a $90 million voucher fund for future fliers impacted by operational errors, on top of the $600 million it paid out in refunds and reimbursements to customers impacted by the holiday debacle.

While the original agreement terms slated the voucher program to start Tuesday, Southwest rolled out the fund April 16. Any passenger who arrives at their final destination three or more hours after the scheduled arrival time for domestic flights or six hours for international flights can request a $75 voucher. The money is available only for fliers facing snafus within Southwest’s control, such as a mechanical issue or swapping planes.

To receive the money, customers can fill out a form online . The request must be submitted within one year from the delayed or canceled flight. Southwest should get back to customers within 30 days, according to Southwest spokeswoman Laura Swift. The compensation fund is expected to run for three years.

Last week, the Biden administration announced new rules for airlines to strengthen passenger protection and increase transparency in the industry. Under the new regulations, airlines are required to streamline the refund process for canceled flights and abandon hidden fees by disclosing the price of surcharges for luggage and changes to reservations upfront.

While announcing those rules, Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg also mentioned Southwest’s vouchers as a customer service measure that could influence other airlines.

“This is the month when those vouchers as part of the Southwest settlement kick in, and Southwest will now, because we are making them, really lead the market on that,” Buttigieg said. “It’ll be very interesting to see what other airlines respond — not as punishment, but by way of competition.”

In a statement Tuesday, DOT officials said they will be “closely monitoring” Southwest’s program, requiring the airline to submit an annual report documenting the voucher expenditures over the next three years.

Hannah Sampson contributed to this report.

How to get reimbursed for hotels, cars, food after Southwest cancellations

• Published: Dec. 28, 2022, 8:25 a.m.
• Tristan Smith | [email protected]

On Tuesday and Wednesday, over 5,000 flight Southwest Airlines flights have been canceled as the airline’s stuck in a country-wide holiday travel disruption that has left thousands stranded. But people who’ve had to pay unforeseen expenses for food, hotels or rental cars, due to Southwest’s cancellations or lengthy delays, can now request to have their additional travel expenses reimbursed.

Impacted holiday travelers who have flight cancellations or significant flight delays between Dec. 24, 2022, and Jan. 2, 2023, may submit their receipts for reimbursement consideration to Southwest’s email page , according to the airline’s website. The airline did not specify the minimum length of a “significant” delay. Reimbursements will also be considered on a case-by-case basis, the airline said.

“We will honor reasonable requests for reimbursement for meals, hotel, and alternate transportation,” the airline stated on its website.

Refunds are also available for impacted Southwest travelers. People caught up in the Southwest debacle can request a formal refund on Southwest’s travel disruption page or call customer support at 1-800-435-9792. Refunds can only be issued for an unused airline ticket.

• Read More: Here’s how to request a refund for canceled Southwest Airlines flights

Due to the thousands of holiday travelers experiencing disruptions with Southwest, the high demand is impacting the airline’s ability to connect customers with support staff. Anyone traveling within the next 72 hours is urged to call support at 1-800-435-9792 immediately.

The U.S. Department of Transportation stated it will be examining the operations of Southwest Airlines after over 2,500 of its flights were canceled as of Tuesday morning.

• Read more: DOT to examine Southwest Airlines operations; over 2,500 flights canceled

Massachusetts U.S. Sen. Ed Markey and Connecticut U.S. Sen. Richard Blumenthal on Tuesday called on Southwest Airlines to compensate passengers whose flights had been canceled in the wake of a massive winter storm this weekend that disrupted travel for thousands.

“Instead of a holiday spent celebrating with family and friends, passengers are sleeping in airports or desperately trying to reach customer service agents. For those travelers whose holidays have been ruined, there is no real way for Southwest to make this right,” Markey and Blumenthal said in a statement.

• Read more: Senators call for Southwest to issue refunds, reimbursements after cancellations

The two lawmakers called on the company to offer rebooked tickets, ticket refunds, and hotel, meal, and transportation reimbursement, as well as “significant monetary compensation” to passengers whose flights were canceled.

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How to request Southwest Airlines refunds, reimbursements for disrupted flights

• Updated: Jan. 04, 2023, 4:10 p.m. |
• Published: Jan. 02, 2023, 10:26 a.m.

Baggage stacked up waiting to be claimed at the Southwest Airlines baggage claim Tuesday, Dec. 27, 2022, at Salt Lake City International Airport. (AP Photo/Rick Bowmer) AP

• wire reports

In the wake of Southwest Airlines scrapping thousands of flights over the holidays, inconvenienced travelers across the country are looking to get their money back for expenses they’ve incurred, including flights on other airlines, clothing, hotels and meals.

According to federal law, airline passengers are entitled to a refund if a flight is canceled for any reason. But navigating the reimbursement process can get complicated when it comes to determining what other expenses qualify for a refund, according to travelers who have had their vacations upended.

In order to request a refund, the company says passengers whose flights were canceled from Dec. 24 to Jan. 2 should fill out a form and submit receipts online .

The form asks for a reservation number and name, noting that passengers need to complete the form just once for all travelers in their reservation.

For additional expenses, the company says it will “honor reasonable requests for reimbursement.” However, it does not specify what that entails.

Southwest will refund tickets on canceled flights, and executives repeated a promise to reimburse travelers who were forced to pay for hotel rooms, meals and flights on other airlines. The airline’s chief commercial officer said that process will take several weeks. Executives said the airline also will pay to ship baggage that has piled up at airports around the country.

On its website, Southwest told customers affected by canceled or delayed flights between Dec. 24 and Jan. 2 to submit receipts. The airline said, “We will honor reasonable requests for reimbursement for meals, hotel, and alternate transportation.”

Southwest lost $75 million during a much smaller disruption in October 2021 that resulted in about 2,000 canceled flights over a four-day stretch.

CEO Robert Jordan said it was too early to say how much the company will lose in revenue and incur in extra costs because of the current crisis. “This has been an incredible disruption, and we can’t have this again,” he said.

Robert Mann, an aviation consultant and former airline executive, said the Transportation Department could force Southwest to pay refunds for all flights that were canceled for reasons within the airline’s control, such as lack of crews. He estimated that could total 6,000 cancellations affecting 1 million customers and adding up to $300 million.

Fred Barber, whose daughter’s and son-in-law’s flights were canceled Christmas Day, said he plans to seek reimbursement for their rebooked, next-day American Airline tickets, which cost about $290 each. His family also plans to submit expenses they wouldn’t have incurred had their flight left as scheduled, including some basic clothing items, prescription medicine and gas mileage.

Barber, who lives in Argyle, drove back and forth to Dallas Love Field during the rebooking process, approximately 40 miles each way. He estimates their request totals about $1,000, and said he hopes to recover the full amount.

“I can’t think of anything we are asking for that is unreasonable,” he said. “All of these are things that they should not have had to pay for.”

But Barber said he is privileged to absorb the extra costs in the meantime.

“From our family’s standpoint, this is a first-world problem,” he said.

Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg said his department would hold Southwest accountable. “They need to make sure that those stranded passengers get to where they need to go and that they are provided adequate compensation,” including for missed flights, hotels and meals, he said Wednesday on ABC’s “Good Morning America.”

David Gail, whose flight also was canceled over the holiday, said he hopes to get a full refund for his rebooked, same-day flight on JSX for himself, his wife and their three children.

Gail also submitted expenses for his rental car. His family had plans to rent a car, but had to drive three hours to a different airport to catch a flight back to Dallas.

He said his reimbursement request totals around $2,400, and considers those expenses to fall under Southwest’s definition of “reasonable.”

“It would have been much more expensive for Southwest had we booked two hotel rooms for three days and had a rental car for three days,” he said.

Gail received an automated email from the airline Thursday that acknowledged receipt of the request and provided a case number. The email says the passenger will receive a “personalized response” from a member of Southwest’s customer service team but does not disclose exactly when the airline will process the request.

Meanwhile, Imani Stewart said she received a full refund for her canceled Southwest flight from Dallas to Salt Lake City by talking to a ticketing agent at Love Field. The conversation took about an hour, she said.

Stewart also asked the agent for a refund on the $95 pet fee she was charged for her small dog. The airline representative told her she wasn’t sure whether that qualified for reimbursement.

The Mansfield resident, who flies Southwest in part because of how well they typically handle pets, said she doesn’t see why this wouldn’t be considered reasonable.

“You’re buying your pet a seat or the ability for them to fly on the plane, and he didn’t fly on the plane, so the service at the end of the day wasn’t met,” she said.

Stewart plans to submit her pet fee expense along with receipts for her rescheduled flights on United Airlines. She hopes to see some money refunded to her credit card by mid-January, which she thinks is a “reasonable timeframe” for the airline to process her request.

©2022 The Dallas Morning News. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

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Southwest Still on the Hook for 2022 Holiday Meltdown — and Will Now Provide New Vouchers for Delayed, Canceled Flights

The compensation program is part of the airline's settlement with Department of Transportation.

Southwest Airlines' settlement terms with the Department of Transportation (DOT) are kicking in — leading to future customers receiving compensation if they experience a significant flight delay. As part of the settlement sparked from the airline’s 2022 holiday meltdown, Southwest has agreed to award $75 or more in transferrable vouchers to travelers who reach their destination at least three hours late due to an airline-caused disruption or cancellation, according to the DOT .

The airline quietly launched the compensation program on April 16, and has already heard from a few thousand customers, Reuters reported. The effort is part of the airline’s agreement to establish a $90 million reserve fund for future flight delays and cancellations.

“After the 2022 holiday meltdown, our department held Southwest Airlines accountable — and now the airline is required to compensate passengers for lengthy delays and cancellations that they cause,” U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg said in a statement. “We're pleased to bring these benefits to passengers, and further show the flying public that the Biden-Harris Administration has their back.”

Going forward, Southwest is required to award the vouchers when a flight is canceled or delayed within seven days of the scheduled departure date.

Travelers are not entitled to a voucher if the delay is caused by something like weather.

To request a voucher, passengers must fill out an online form . Travelers must submit their request within one year of their delayed or canceled flight. The vouchers will be transferable and valid for at least one year after the date of issuance, according to the DOT.

A representative for Southwest did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the program from Travel + Leisure .

The program is required to last for three years, Reuters noted, but Southwest CEO Bob Jordan told the wire service consumer programs "rarely change or go away."

In December, the DOT issued a record $140 million fine against Southwest following the 2022 holiday travel meltdown , which saw thousands of flights canceled and passengers stranded. The DOT also said Southwest was financially responsible for at least $750 million, including refunds and future compensation.

The start of the program comes as the DOT issued a new rule detailing when airlines owe travelers a refund.

Watch CBS News

Southwest Airlines sets up page for refunds, reimbursement

By WCCO Staff

December 29, 2022 / 5:29 AM CST / CBS Minnesota

Check out Southwest Airlines travel disruption information, including getting a refund and reimbursement, here . 

The WCCO Staff is a group of experienced journalists who bring you the content on WCCO.com.

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‎12-27-2022 02:52 PM

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Biden-Harris Administration Announces Final Rule Requiring Automatic Refunds of Airline Tickets and Ancillary Service Fees

Rule makes it easy to get money back for cancelled or significantly changed flights, significantly delayed checked bags, and additional services not provided  

WASHINGTON – The Biden-Harris Administration today announced that the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) has issued a final rule that requires airlines to promptly provide passengers with automatic cash refunds when owed. The new rule makes it easy for passengers to obtain refunds when airlines cancel or significantly change their flights, significantly delay their checked bags, or fail to provide the extra services they purchased.

“Passengers deserve to get their money back when an airline owes them - without headaches or haggling,” said U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg . “Our new rule sets a new standard to require airlines to promptly provide cash refunds to their passengers.”  

The final rule creates certainty for consumers by defining the specific circumstances in which airlines must provide refunds. Prior to this rule, airlines were permitted to set their own standards for what kind of flight changes warranted a refund. As a result, refund policies differed from airline to airline, which made it difficult for passengers to know or assert their refund rights. DOT also received complaints of some airlines revising and applying less consumer-friendly refund policies during spikes in flight cancellations and changes. 

Under the rule, passengers are entitled to a refund for:

• Canceled or significantly changed flights: Passengers will be entitled to a refund if their flight is canceled or significantly changed, and they do not accept alternative transportation or travel credits offered. For the first time, the rule defines “significant change.” Significant changes to a flight include departure or arrival times that are more than 3 hours domestically and 6 hours internationally; departures or arrivals from a different airport; increases in the number of connections; instances where passengers are downgraded to a lower class of service; or connections at different airports or flights on different planes that are less accessible or accommodating to a person with a disability.  
• Significantly delayed baggage return: Passengers who file a mishandled baggage report will be entitled to a refund of their checked bag fee if it is not delivered within 12 hours of their domestic flight arriving at the gate, or 15-30 hours of their international flight arriving at the gate, depending on the length of the flight.  
• Extra services not provided: Passengers will be entitled to a refund for the fee they paid for an extra service — such as Wi-Fi, seat selection, or inflight entertainment — if an airline fails to provide this service.

DOT’s final rule also makes it simple and straightforward for passengers to receive the money they are owed. Without this rule, consumers have to navigate a patchwork of cumbersome processes to request and receive a refund — searching through airline websites to figure out how make the request, filling out extra “digital paperwork,” or at times waiting for hours on the phone. In addition, passengers would receive a travel credit or voucher by default from some airlines instead of getting their money back, so they could not use their refund to rebook on another airline when their flight was changed or cancelled without navigating a cumbersome request process.  

The final rule improves the passenger experience by requiring refunds to be:

• Automatic: Airlines must automatically issue refunds without passengers having to explicitly request them or jump through hoops.   
• Prompt: Airlines and ticket agents must issue refunds within seven business days of refunds becoming due for credit card purchases and 20 calendar days for other payment methods.  
• Cash or original form of payment: Airlines and ticket agents must provide refunds in cash or whatever original payment method the individual used to make the purchase, such as credit card or airline miles. Airlines may not substitute vouchers, travel credits, or other forms of compensation unless the passenger affirmatively chooses to accept alternative compensation.    
• Full amount: Airlines and ticket agents must provide full refunds of the ticket purchase price, minus the value of any portion of transportation already used. The refunds must include all government-imposed taxes and fees and airline-imposed fees, regardless of whether the taxes or fees are refundable to airlines.

The final rule also requires airlines to provide prompt notifications to consumers affected by a cancelled or significantly changed flight of their right to a refund of the ticket and extra service fees, as well as any related policies.

In addition, in instances where consumers are restricted by a government or advised by a medical professional not to travel to, from, or within the United States due to a serious communicable disease, the final rule requires that airlines must provide travel credits or vouchers. Consumers may be required to provide documentary evidence to support their request. Travel vouchers or credits provided by airlines must be transferrable and valid for at least five years from the date of issuance.

The Department received a significant number of complaints against airlines and ticket agents for refusing to provide a refund or for delaying processing of refunds during and after the COVID-19 pandemic. At the height of the pandemic in 2020, refund complaints peaked at 87 percent of all air travel service complaints received by DOT. Refund problems continue to make up a substantial share of the complaints that DOT receives.

DOT’s Historic Record of Consumer Protection Under the Biden-Harris Administration

Under the Biden-Harris Administration and Secretary Buttigieg, DOT has advanced the largest expansion of airline passenger rights, issued the biggest fines against airlines for failing consumers, and returned more money to passengers in refunds and reimbursements than ever before in the Department’s history.

• Thanks to pressure from Secretary Buttigieg and DOT’s flightrights.gov dashboard, all 10 major U.S. airlines guarantee free rebooking and meals, and nine guarantee hotel accommodations when an airline issue causes a significant delay or cancellation. These are new commitments the airlines added to their customer service plans that DOT can legally ensure they adhere to and are displayed on flightrights.gov .  
• Since President Biden took office, DOT has helped return more than $3 billion in refunds and reimbursements owed to airline passengers – including over $600 million to passengers affected by the Southwest Airlines holiday meltdown in 2022.   
• Under Secretary Buttigieg, DOT has issued over $164 million in penalties against airlines for consumer protection violations. Between 1996 and 2020, DOT collectively issued less than $71 million in penalties against airlines for consumer protection violations.  
• DOT recently launched a new partnership with a bipartisan group of state attorneys general to fast-track the review of consumer complaints, hold airlines accountable, and protect the rights of the traveling public.  
• In 2023, the flight cancellation rate in the U.S. was a record low at under 1.2% — the lowest rate of flight cancellations in over 10 years despite a record amount of air travel.  
• DOT is undertaking its first ever industry-wide review of airline privacy practices and its first review of airline loyalty programs.

In addition to finalizing the rules to require automatic refunds and protect against surprise fees, DOT is also pursuing rulemakings that would:

• Propose to ban family seating junk fees and guarantee that parents can sit with their children for no extra charge when they fly. Before President Biden and Secretary Buttigieg pressed airlines last year, no airline committed to guaranteeing fee-free family seating. Now, four airlines guarantee fee-free family seating, and the Department is working on its family seating junk fee ban proposal.  
• Propose to make passenger compensation and amenities mandatory so that travelers are taken care of when airlines cause flight delays or cancellations.   
• Expand the rights for passengers who use wheelchairs and ensure that they can travel safely and with dignity . The comment period on this proposed rule closes on May 13, 2024.

The final rule on refunds can be found at https://www.transportation.gov/airconsumer/latest-news and at regulations.gov , docket number DOT-OST-2022-0089. There are different implementation periods in this final rule ranging from six months for airlines to provide automatic refunds when owed to 12 months for airlines to provide transferable travel vouchers or credits when consumers are unable to travel for reasons related to a serious communicable disease. 

Information about airline passenger rights, as well as DOT’s rules, guidance and orders, can be found at   https://www.transportation.gov/airconsumer .

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