TUCSON, Ariz. (KGUN) — Southwest Airline passengers are seeing delays, cancellations and are wondering when they’ll be able to resume their travel plans.
The passengers I spoke to said their flights were canceled and tried to find alternative routes for travel.
Austin Wright is the Chief Communications Officer at Tucson International Airport. He said it was already expected to be a busy day.
“We were expecting significantly higher travel volumes than what we may see on a normal day. Over the two week period of the holidays we were expecting 210,000 travelers. Adding in cancellations and delays has meant for a bit of a chaotic travel experience,” said Wright.
Steve Ross and his family had their flight canceled from Tucson to Chicago today, but it wasn’t their first cancellation en route to Columbus, Ohio.
“The Midway to Columbus, so we thought we were really smart, and we booked a room in Chicago, and we were going to drive from Midway to Columbus tomorrow,” Ross said. But with cancellations and long lines, he said he won’t make it to the room he booked for tonight. He has no idea when his flight will be rebooked.
“My guess is we won’t be able to get out until New Years,” he said.
For Elijah Kuntz, his flight to Denver was one the few with Southwest that wasn’t canceled. Still, the line for check in was so long he wasn’t sure if he would make his flight.
“I knew there would be some delays because I was flying close to the holidays, and Southwest has been going through some stuff. I didn’t expect it to be this bad,” said Kuntz.
Like Steve Ross, he accepted the possibility of not flying out of Tucson. He told me what his back up plan would be.
“Try and find a replacement flight. But it looks like there’s none available for Southwest for a few days, so likely fly out like a week later,” said Kuntz.
Officials with the Tucson International Airport were not able to speak for the airlines, but said they’ve prepared to accommodate the increase in travelers with delays and cancellations. They also have extra security to make sure all passengers have the best experience possible despite the circumstances.
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Reyna Preciado is a reporter for KGUN 9, she joined the KGUN 9 team in July of 2022 after graduating Arizona State University. Share your story ideas with Reyna by emailing reyna.preciado@kgun9.com or by connecting on Instagram, or Twitter.
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