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Denver to MSP and Midway Cancellations on 1/27-1/28

TMU
Explorer C

Wondering if Southwest stranded anyone else in Denver this weekend by cancelling flights due to "weather" in Minneapolis/ Chicago?

 

We had 2 flights cancelled for a Monday 1/28 return and ended up renting a car to drive back, we talked to at least 2 other groups in the same situation.

 

We found Southwest either unwilling or unable to help accomodate alternate travel options, the next available flights offered were on Friday, 2/1.

9 REPLIES 9

Re: Denver to MSP and Midway Cancellations on 1/27-1/28

TheMiddleSeat
Aviator A

I don't believe Southwest is unique in not paying for alternative travel options such as rental cars in the event of weather.  They will either rebook you or refund your money.  Here is some information from their Customer Service Commitment document:

 

Southwest does its best to operate flights as scheduled. Sometimes, events beyond our control or situations we could not anticipate prevent us from doing so. In order to mitigate Customer inconveniences, we provide the following assistance in the event a flight is delayed, canceled, or diverted:

● Rebooking on the next available Southwest flight(s) with seats available to your ticketed destination.

● A refund of the unused portion of your Southwest ticket. We do not pay for tickets on other airlines or absorb the difference between our fares and higher fares on other airlines.

 

If the cause of your inconvenience is not within our means of control, we will do our best to assist you by securing a discounted rate at a hotel at or near the airport.

 

 

Feb 1 may have been the soonest they could confirm you on a flight, but it's possible seats would have opened up before then if you kept checking and then called to get rebooked.

 

--TheMiddleSeat

Re: Denver to MSP and Midway Cancellations on 1/27-1/28

dfwskier
Aviator A

Southwest took almsot all  MDW capacity thru the end of the month off line - presumably to allow rebooking as the situation became clearer

 

Sothwest started adding the capacity back to it's system very late yesterday - for today. Today it added back more capacity  for tomorrow and Thursday. 

 

My Dallas / Midway flight for the 30th was cancelled and I was rebooked for a flight on the 1st and it looked like everything thru Thrusday was off line. Now I have a flight out on Thursday, and there is availability for flights on the 30th (not the same one  was scheduled to fly). I have to decide whether or not to change my flight again.

 

So, if you have not already made the drive, check again because you might find seats now. Any change would be at no cost to you due to the weather.

Re: Denver to MSP and Midway Cancellations on 1/27-1/28

DancingDavidE
Aviator A

I personally have some friends stranded in Orlando right now (lucky them, relatively speaking).

 

Anyway - the answer to your question is certainly "yes" - with MDW barely taking any flights right now I'm sure there are people in many locations waiting to return to Chicago.

 

If it happens to you again you can also try MKE for alternative destinations, but this weather system is pounding Wisconsin as hard as northern Illinois.

 

The best you can do if you still wanted to fly is to keep checking back at the airport and attempt a late change or standby. The airline won't pay for tickets on other airlines as a result of weather.

 

 

Home airport MDW, frequent visitor to MCO to see the mouse.

Re: Denver to MSP and Midway Cancellations on 1/27-1/28

DancingDavidE
Aviator A

This is a live link, so it won't show the history but looking at it now on Tuesday evening around half of MDW's flights are canceled either incoming or departing.

 

https://flightaware.com/live/cancelled

 

Southwest did take the worst of it today relative to other airlines.

 

I'm torn on the issue - they get beat up now for cancelling proactively which minimizes total disruption but puts out the Chicago passengers. But then when they didn't do this a few years back, they took major heat for not cancelling the flights and disrupting the nationwide network.

 

Maybe it's just me, and influence of my viewpoint since I fly more now relative to ten years ago, but I feel like there has been a shift to be more proactive in adjusting the schedule which minimizes the risk overall.

 

 

 

Home airport MDW, frequent visitor to MCO to see the mouse.

Re: Denver to MSP and Midway Cancellations on 1/27-1/28

elijahbrantley
Aviator A

I am afraid this could happen on any airline.  Chicago and Minneapolis are both on SW's travel advisory for Winter Storm Jayden from 1/27 - 2/1, and it is a very real and significant weather event.

 

Good luck!

-A List, Companion Pass holder

Re: Denver to MSP and Midway Cancellations on 1/27-1/28

TMU
Explorer C

I understand the cold that has now come is a real issue, the snow and cold on Monday was less of an issue, but most incoming flights to MSP went as scheduled.  Maybe do what ever you can to move people Mon/ Tuesday, knowing your cancelling all flights til Friday.

 

Also we checked hourly to see if anything was opening up, no seats ever became available.

Re: Denver to MSP and Midway Cancellations on 1/27-1/28

TMU
Explorer C

I understand the cold that has now come is a real issue, the snow and cold on Monday was less of an issue, but most incoming flights to MSP went as scheduled.  Maybe do what ever you can to move people Mon/ Tuesday, knowing your cancelling all flights til Friday.

 

Also we checked hourly to see if anything was opening up, no seats ever became available.

Re: Denver to Minneapolis and Midway Cancellations on 1/27-1/28

TMU
Explorer C

I understand the cold that has now come is a real issue, the snow and cold on Monday was less of an issue, but most incoming flights to MSP went as scheduled.  Maybe do what ever you can to move people Mon/ Tuesday, knowing your cancelling all flights til Friday.

 

Also we checked hourly to see if anything was opening up, no seats ever became available.

Re: Denver to Minneapolis and Midway Cancellations on 1/27-1/28

DancingDavidE
Aviator A

Not to beat a dead horse, but here was another article on the topic. I guess United canceled a huge chunk of its flights at O'Hare as well.

https://www.msn.com/en-us/travel/news/airlines-resorting-to-extraordinary-measures-to-protect-airpor...

 

Agreed, if they start canceling en masse, then usually there will also be a storm advisory where you can move up your flight, but that may not work if your route is already busy and there aren't any empty seats.

 

Good luck, I hope you make it on schedule Friday at least and get this ordeal put behind you.

 

 

Home airport MDW, frequent visitor to MCO to see the mouse.