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Southwest Airlines offering to reimburse travel expenses for stranded passengers
Between hotel rooms, rental cars, and finding a place to eat, costs are mounting for travelers left stranded by the Southwest Airlines meltdown. FOX 10's Lindsey Ragas explains how the airline plans to reimburse flyers and whether it's going to be enough.
PHOENIX - Between hotel rooms, rental cars, and finding a place to eat, costs are mounting for travelers left stranded by the Southwest Airlines meltdown.
Here's how the airline says they'll reimburse affected flyers.
Refunds and reimbursements
Southwest updated their website Thursday saying they will offer refunds for anyone whose flight was canceled.
"In the event your flight is canceled during the travel period beginning on December 24, 2022 through January 2, 2023, you may request a refund of your unused ticket to the original form of payment," the website stated.
They will also honor "reasonable" reimbursement requests for meals, hotel and alternate transportation, according to the site. It's unclear how they define a "reasonable" expense.
"If you have been impacted by a flight cancellation or significant flight delay between December 24, 2022, and January 2, 2023, you may submit receipts for consideration via Email Us on Southwest.com," reads the site. "We will honor reasonable requests for reimbursement for meals, hotel, and alternate transportation."
To request a refund, travelers can visit their website and enter their name and confirmation number. Receipts can also be submitted via email.
Visit: www.southwest.com/traveldisruption/
According to the U.S. Dept. of Transportation, you do not have to settle for a flight voucher if your flight was canceled. You are entitled to a refund if the airline cancels a flight, regardless of the reason.
You are also entitled to a refund if the airline made a significant schedule delay - but there's a catch.
What's a ‘significant’ delay?
"Right now there are very few rights about if your flight is delayed," said Teresa Murray with the Arizona Public Interest Research Group. "What is the definition of a delay - is it an hour, is it ten hours, is it two days? There's not a really clear definition on that, but it's going to change.
"You don't have the right to reimbursement necessarily if you have a flight that's delayed overnight, and you have to stay in a hotel or if like a lot of folks did this week, you choose to rent a car and drive wherever you were going," Murray explained. "You don't necessarily have a right to get reimbursed for that rental car or for the extra food."
According to the DOT, they have not defined what constitutes a significant delay. The department determines whether people are entitled to a refund following a delay on a case-by-case basis.
The Arizona Public Interest Research Group says they have been advocating for stronger consumer protections for passengers for years, focusing on refunds, reimbursements and holding airlines accountable.
Tips for travelers
- Don't check a bag if possible
- Book flights with a credit card, not a debit card
- File a complaint with the DOT if the issue is not resolved with the airline
Learn more about filing a complaint here.
Continued Coverage
- Southwest cancels another 2,300 flights, expects normal operations to resume Friday
- Southwest Airlines cancels thousands of flights, stranding Phoenix Sky Harbor travelers
- Southwest flight cancellations continue to snowball as Congress vows investigation
- Flight canceled? Can you get a refund? Here's how to find out if you're owed money
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Thousands remain stuck as Southwest cancels more flights
In Phoenix, a majority of flights that were cancelled were Southwest Airline flights, as a multi-day air travel disruption continues. Airline officials say they won't be back to full capacity until Dec. 30, at the earliest. FOX 10's Marissa Sarbak reports.