By Meghan Roos and Lauren Giella
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- Travel woes continue Wednesday as thousands of people return home from the holiday weekend.
- More than 2,800 flights have been canceled and about 2,200 delayed across the country. Southwest Airlines has cancelled more than 60 percent of its flights.
- Southwest CEO Bod Jordan apologized to travelers and employees for the recent chaos. He said the airline will be running a reduced schedule over the next few days and "proactively reaching out" to customers who are dealing with "costly detours and reroutes."
- U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg spoke to Jordan amid DOT's investigation into how the airline is dealing with these cancellations. He called the mass cancelations a "system failure" and promised to ensure Southwest provides adequate compensation to passengers.
- The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) said delayed flights should be expected at Dallas-Forth Worth, Las Vegas, Minneapolis-St. Paul, Denver, Phoenix and Seattle airports.
- Cities in Western New York are still working to recover from the heavy snowfall over the weekend. Crews in Buffalo are working to clear over 51 inches of snow as they expect the storm-related death toll of 28 to rise.
- President Joe Biden is facing criticism for jetting off on an island vacation as much of the country continues to suffer from the winter storm.
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The live updates for this blog have ended.
Dec 28, 2022 at 01:09 PM EST
What You Are Entitled to if Flight is Canceled
Major U.S. airlines have commitments to passengers in the case of a controllable flight cancellation or delay.
The U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) has created a dashboard to ensure travelers can access information about services airlines provide "to mitigate passenger inconveniences when the cause of a cancellation or delay was due to circumstances within the airline's control."
According to the DOT, a controllable flight cancellation or delay is "essentially a delay or cancellation caused by the airline," including maintenance or crew problems, cabin cleaning, baggage loading or fueling.
Airlines are required to adhere to the promises they make in their customer service plan and DOT promises to hold airlines accountable if they don't.
Commitments for Controllable Cancellations by Airline:
Alaska Airlines
- Rebook passenger on same airline at no additional cost
- Rebook on partner airline or another airline with which it has an agreement at no additional cost
- Meal or meal cash/voucher when cancellation results in passenger waiting for 3 hours or more for a new flight
- Complimentary hotel accommodations for any passenger affected by an overnight cancellation
- Complimentary ground transportation to and from hotel for any passenger affected by an overnight cancellation
American Airlines
- Rebook passenger on same airline at no additional cost
- Rebook on partner airline or another airline with which it has an agreement at no additional cost
- Meal or meal cash/voucher when cancellation results in passenger waiting for 3 hours or more for a new flight
- Complimentary hotel accommodations for any passenger affected by an overnight cancellation
- Complimentary ground transportation to and from hotel for any passenger affected by an overnight cancellation
Delta Airlines
- Rebook passenger on same airline at no additional cost
- Rebook on partner airline or another airline with which it has an agreement at no additional cost
- Meal or meal cash/voucher when cancellation results in passenger waiting for 3 hours or more for a new flight
- Complimentary hotel accommodations for any passenger affected by an overnight cancellation
- Complimentary ground transportation to and from hotel for any passenger affected by an overnight cancellation
JetBlue Airways
- Rebook passenger on same airline at no additional cost
- Rebook on partner airline or another airline with which it has an agreement at no additional cost
- Meal or meal cash/voucher when cancellation results in passenger waiting for 3 hours or more for a new flight
- Complimentary hotel accommodations for any passenger affected by an overnight cancellation
- Complimentary ground transportation to and from hotel for any passenger affected by an overnight cancellation
Southwest Airlines
- Rebook passenger on same airline at no additional cost
- Meal or meal cash/voucher when cancellation results in passenger waiting for 3 hours or more for a new flight
- Complimentary hotel accommodations for any passenger affected by an overnight cancellation
- Complimentary ground transportation to and from hotel for any passenger affected by an overnight cancellation
Southwest Airlines does not commit to: Rebook on partner airline or another airline with which it has an agreement at no additional cost
Southwest Commitments for Controllable Delays:
- Rebook passenger on same airline at no additional cost for significant delays
- Meal or meal cash/voucher when flight delay results in passenger waiting for 3 hours or more
- Complimentary hotel accommodations for any passenger affected by an overnight delay
- Complimentary ground transportation to and from hotel for any passenger affected by an overnight delay
Southwest Airlines does not commit to: Rebook on partner airline or another airline with which it has an agreement at no additional cost for significant delays
Spirit Airlines
Commitments for Controllable Cancellations:
- Rebook passenger on same airline at no additional cost
- Meal or meal cash/voucher when cancellation results in passenger waiting for 3 hours or more for a new flight
- Complimentary hotel accommodations for any passenger affected by an overnight cancellation
Spirit Airlines does not commit to: Rebook on partner airline or another airline with which it has an agreement at no additional cost or complimentary ground transportation to and from hotel for any passenger affected by an overnight cancellation
United Airlines
Commitments for Controllable Cancellations:
- Rebook passenger on same airline at no additional cost
- Rebook on partner airline or another airline with which it has an agreement at no additional cost
- Meal or meal cash/voucher when cancellation results in passenger waiting for 3 hours or more for a new flight
- Complimentary hotel accommodations for any passenger affected by an overnight cancellation
- Complimentary ground transportation to and from hotel for any passenger affected by an overnight cancellation
These commitments do not impact travelers' entitlement to a refund. If an airline cancels or makes a significant change to a flight, regardless of the reason, airlines must to provide a prompt refund to a ticketed passenger if that passenger chooses not to rebook on another flight. This includes passengers with non-refundable tickets.
Dec 28, 2022 at 12:45 PM EST
FAA Warns of Potential Weather Delays at Six Airports
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) issued a warning Wednesday that six airports in the U.S. could experience flight delays due to weather.
In its daily traffic report, the FAA said three airports are likely to be impacted Wednesday by high winds and three are likely to be impacted by low clouds. The agency identified the airports likely to encounter flight delays due to high winds as Dallas-Fort Worth, Las Vegas and Minneapolis-St. Paul. Meanwhile, the Denver, Phoenix and Seattle airports could experience flight delays due to low clouds.
The FAA urged travelers to check in with their airlines for up-to-date flight scheduling information.
The FAA's flight delay warning came as many travelers across the country were still facing delays and cancellations linked to flight disruptions caused by last week's winter storm. On Wednesday, data on the flight tracking website FlightAware showed more than 2,100 flights arriving in, departing from or traveling within the U.S. were delayed by noon on Wednesday, and more than 2,800 other flights had been canceled.
Looking ahead, FlightAware data showed more than 2,300 flights in the U.S. have already been canceled for Thursday and more than 40 have been canceled for Friday.
Dec 28, 2022 at 12:15 PM EST
Buffalo Man Survives 15 Hours Trapped in Truck
As the death toll in Western New York continues to climb following the major blizzard over the holiday weekend, one Buffalo man survived for hours trapped inside his truck at the height of the storm.
T.J. Lingos told the Weather Channel that he was hoping to make it home after work ahead of the storm last Friday. But he ended up being stuck in his truck for 15 hours as Winter Storm Elliot hit Buffalo. Lignos admitted that he knew he should not have been on the roads that night.
He said he called 911 but was told no one could get to him amid the conditions.
"I got a little scared. I got a little choked up there," Lignos said. "I just kept as calm as I could... I kept getting out, trying to shovel myself out, but it wasn't working, so I had to give up."
Lignos said he ran his engine on and off, sitting with his feet on the heated seats to keep them warm. His loved ones advised him to stay put in the truck where he was protected and not wonder out in the storm.
Someone finally came up to his truck at about 8 or 9 a.m. the next morning to ask if he was okay.
This comes as 34 storm-related deaths have been confirmed in Erie County, New York. Officials said road clearing crews expect to find more victims of the storm buried underneath the snow.
Lignos was helped by several people in the community, including those who helped dig his truck out of the snow, a couple who invited him for a meal at their home and someone who offered him a ride on a four-wheeler because his truck was out of gas. He ended up making the final leg of his journey home on foot.
"I called my roommate – I was like, 'Hey I'm walking home. If I'm not home in a certain amount of time, you've got to come looking for me,'" Lignos said.
When he finally returned home, Lignos said he slept for several hours. On Christmas Eve, he felt determined to help others.
"I woke up and I just felt like I had to do something. I was kind of pacing in my room and I know there's the death toll that keeps rising, unfortunately ... I just felt like, I couldn't sit home," Lignos said. "I just went. I didn't know where I was going. I just headed into the city."
He and a friend started responding to calls for help on a Facebook page called "Buffalo Blizzard Response." Lignos said he took two people to hospitals, delivered food, picked up people walking in the snow and collected donations.
Dec 28, 2022 at 11:47 AM EST
Senators Slam Southwest for Flight Cancellations
Several U.S. Senators are criticizing Southwest Airlines for mass flight cancellations linked to last week's winter storm and said they plan to investigate the airline after flight disruptions left many travelers stranded in airports across the country.
Senator Maria Cantwell of Washington, Senate Commerce Committee Chairwoman, said air travelers "deserve strong protections" and called for an "updated consumer refund rule."
The recent issues with Southwest flights in particular "go beyond weather," Cantwell said Tuesday in a statement. "The Committee will be looking into the causes of these disruptions and its impact to consumers."
Senators Ed Markey of Massachusetts and Richard Blumenthal of Connecticut also called on Southwest to "fairly" compensate passengers impacted by flight cancellations and delays in a joint statement released on Tuesday. The senators said the airline is "failing" consumers and that "there is no real way for Southwest to make this right" for those impacted by the flight disruptions.
"Southwest is planning to issue a $428 million dividend next year – the company can afford to do right by the consumers it has harmed," Markey and Blumenthal said. They said the airline "cannot avoid compensating passengers by claiming these flight cancellations were caused by recent winter storms," adding the bulk of cancellations this week "were largely due to the failure of its own internal systems."
Dec 28, 2022 at 11:16 AM EST
Buttigieg Says Southwest Owes Travelers Compensation
U.S. Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg called Southwest Airlines' travel disruptions during the winter storm a "meltdown."
"We are past the point where they could say this is a weather-driven issue," he said on ABC's "Good Morning America" Wednesday. "Don't get me wrong, all of this began with that severe storm. We saw winter weather affecting the country and severely disrupting all airlines."
He said the rest of the aviation system is down to a rate of about four percent of flights being canceled, while more than 60 percent of Southwest flights are canceled .
"What this indicates is a system failure and they need to make sure that these stranded passengers get to where they need to go and that they're provided adequate compensation," Buttigieg said.
This not only includes refunds for passengers who cannot or choose not to fly, Buttigieg added, but also things like hotels, ground transportation, meals, calling it part of the airlines' "responsibilities."
Buttigieg said he asked Southwest Airlines CEO Bob Jordan what the company is doing to get their passengers and employees "out of this mess."
He said he reminded them of their customers service commitments that U.S. Department of Transportation [DOT] pushed airlines to increase during air travel issues over the summer.
"Now that they have put it in writing, we can enforce that," he said. "I reminded them of of their promises and reminded them they we [DOT] is here to hold them accountable to things like taking care of the expense of those passengers."
Buttigieg said DOT will be watching to ensure Southwest lives up to Jordan's pledge to go "above and beyond" the letter of their customer service commitments.
He added that Southwest must work not only to make passengers financially whole, but to find a way to rebuild trust and confidence.
Dec 28, 2022 at 10:38 AM EST
Storm Death Toll Rises to 34 in Erie County
The death toll from the winter storm continues to rise in Erie County, New York.
During a press briefing Wednesday morning, Erie County Executive Mark Poloncarz said there have been 34 storm-related deaths in Erie County. Of those, 26 were recovered in the city of Buffalo, seven were recovered in the suburbs and one location was unknown.
There are also two John Does and one Jane Doe among the deceased.
Emergency crews and members of the National Guard will be going door-to-door to conduct wellness checks in hard-hit areas of Buffalo, New York.
Poloncarz said EMS task force crews are visiting locations they could not get to during the blizzard, ensuring the community that no EMS or 911 call will go unanswered.
"911 has been up and running and EMS crews are focused on life saving missions," he said in a tweet. "There may be delays, but they are out responding to calls."
The National Guard is also making wellness checks in areas hit with extensive power loss. Poloncarz said they will go to every house in impacted areas.
Zero outages are being reported by NYSEG while the National Grid is reporting 840 outages Wednesday, Poloncarz said.
These searches come as Poloncarz said the county is fearful that individuals who live alone or "are not doing well" may have perished in the blizzard before emergency crews could respond to their calls.
"Everyone who called 858-SNOW number will get a follow up to ensure they are well," Poloncarz said.
Those who lost power for 72 hours or more are entitled to reimbursements from their utility company for spoiled food and medicine.
County officials continue to advise people stay off the roads as snow is cleared.
There are 72 high-lifts and 119 dump trucks from the Erie County Department of Public Works and other contractors in Buffalo. The county said it will open at least one lane of traffic on all Buffalo roads by 7 p.m. Wednesday night.
A driving ban is still in effect in the City of Buffalo to allow emergency vehicles the access they need, Poloncarz said.
Military police have been deployed on city streets to help direct traffic. Poloncarz said they are not ticketing, but assisting in traffic control to prevent accidents and ensure roads can be cleared.
Dec 28, 2022 at 10:27 AM EST
Flight Latest: 2,800 Cancellations Today, Most Are Southwest
The travel nightmare continues Wednesday as nationwide flight cancellations continue.
Southwest Airlines alone has canceled 2,508 flights today, more than 60% of its scheduled flights. As Southwest grapples with getting back on course, unclaimed baggage is still sitting at airports across the country.
Nearly 2,800 flights within, into, or out of the U.S. have been canceled as of 10:20 a.m. ET Wednesday, according to FlightAware. Another 1,473 have been delayed.
...
Dec 28, 2022 at 10:04 AM EST
WATCH: Erie County Storm Update
Erie County will hold another update on the massive winter storm that slammed the region, killing at least 27 in Buffalo, New York alone.
Erie County Executive Mark Poloncarz, along with other officials, will brief the media at 10 a.m. ET Wednesday. Watch live here or below:
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