HOUSTON — Airlines are still reeling from a nearly weeklong winter storm. Thousands of flights were either canceled or delayed Sunday, creating chaos at airports across the country, including Hobby Airport.
And Monday, there were more cancellations and delays. According to FlightAware, Southwest Airlines has more than 1,000 cancellations today and more than 1,000 delays. Seventy-seven cancellations are for flights out of Hobby and 87 were incoming to Hobby.
We’re told some of the bags at Hobby Airport's baggage claim have been there for multiple days now and some people still can’t find theirs.
Southwest blames this disruption across their network on the winter storm that blew across the U.S. last week. On Monday, the airline released the following statement:
With consecutive days of extreme winter weather across our network behind us, continuing challenges are impacting our Customers and Employees in a significant way that is unacceptable.
And our heartfelt apologies for this are just beginning.
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.
We were fully staffed and prepared for the approaching holiday weekend when the severe weather swept across the continent, where Southwest is the largest carrier in 23 of the top 25 travel markets in the U.S. This forced daily changes to our flight schedule at a volume and magnitude that still has the tools our teams use to recover the airline operating at capacity.
This safety-first work is intentional, ongoing, and necessary to return to normal reliability, one that minimizes last-minute inconveniences. We anticipate additional changes with an already reduced level of flights as we approach the coming New Year holiday travel period. And we’re working to reach to Customers whose travel plans will change with specific information and their available options.
Our Employees and Crews scheduled to work this holiday season are showing up in every single way. We are beyond grateful for that. Our shared goal is to take care of every single Customer with the Hospitality and Heart for which we’re known.
On the other side of this, we’ll work to make things right for those we’ve let down, including our Employees.
With no concern higher than ultimate Safety, the People of Southwest share a goal to take care of each and every Customer. We recognize falling short and sincerely apologize.
We spoke with people at Hobby Aiport who came to pick up the bags of loved ones stuck at other airports, but their bags somehow made it to Hobby.
“My daughter got stuck in Dallas yesterday,” said traveler Joe Flores. “They canceled her flight. They rebooked her for today and then they canceled it again but they sent her luggage down here.”
“I’m picking up my sister‘s luggage and they don’t know nothing,” another traveler added. “They told me I just gotta look for it. It’s like trying to find a needle in a haystack. I found two of the bags and I’m looking for one more right now.”
Southwest says passengers who were separated from their baggage should file a claim by contacting Southwest customer service. They can also find information about lost or damaged baggage here.
Due to the delays and cancellations, Houston airports says it causes a backlog, which will take some time to sort out.
At Bush IAH, they’re also dealing with some flight changes. According to Flight Aware, there have been about 255 delays and 61 cancellations.
What to do if you're separated from your luggage
First off, stay calm. If you're sure your bag isn't on the carousel you're expected it to be, check other carousels at baggage claim. If you still can't find it, go to the airline's baggage counter. There are different baggage policies per airline, so you'll want to contact your airline as soon as you can.
Below are links to different airlines lost luggage policies.
United Airlines | Southwest Airlines | American Airlines | Delta Airlines | Spirit Airlines | Frontier Airlines | Air Canada | Alaska Airlines