DALLAS (AP) – Southwest Airlines is trying to make travellers who were caught in its surge of cancelled flights over the holidays feel a bit better about the airline by giving them 25,000 frequent-flyer points.
The airline said the points are worth more than USD300 in flights. Southwest included the offer in a letter – another apology for the meltdown – from Chief Executive Officer Bob Jordan.
“I know that no amount of apologies can undo your experience,” Jordan wrote. He added the airline is acting “with great urgency” to process refunds, return lost bags and handle requests for reimbursement of costs incurred by stranded travellers.
Dallas-based Southwest cancelled more than 15,000 flights between December 22 and December 30, according to tracking service FlightAware. The flight disruptions began with a winter storm that swept across the country.
While other airlines recovered after a couple days, Southwest continued to struggle with crews and airplanes that were stranded far from where they were supposed to be.
Southwest said people booked on flights from December 24 to January 2 that were cancelled or “significantly” delayed received the 25,000 points. It has not disclosed how many passengers were booked on those flights.
