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Cancelled flight

Sundance
Explorer C

We dropped off my diabetic adult son at Richmond, VA airport for a 2pm flight home to Denver after a OBX family vacation.  The flight was delayed 14 times and then cancelled.  He slept at the airport with no access to food which is dangerous for a diabetic.  

 

I called Southwest to try to help find him a flight.  After being told to hold time was 54 minutes, I hung up after being on hold for an hour and a half.  We called the airport and they send a security officer or PD to check on him.

 

Southwest got him on a flight home scheduled for 9pm tonight, some 33 hours after the scheduled departure.  We bought him a ticket on United and he's on his way home as of this writing, 10:48am.

 

I'm sure Southwest can offer a story as to why this was the best they could possibly do.  Rest assured, nobody on SWA's board of directors was on this flight.  We all have challenges, what makes us different is how we respond.  

6 REPLIES 6

Re: Cancelled flight

jksobonya
Aviator A

Sorry for your trouble - unfortunately, flight delays and cancellations happen. I've personally never heard of a flight being delayed 14 times, and I fly fairly often.

 

I also find it hard to believe that your son didn't have access to food - most if not all restaurants in airports are open now, as well as convenience stores where you can buy drinks, snacks, sandwiches, etc. It may be more difficult for someone who is diabetic to find something to eat, but it shouldn't be impossible. Looking at the Richmond Airport web site, there were options - not a lot, granted, but there are some: https://flyrichmond.com/shopping-and-dining/ 

 

--Jessica

Re: Cancelled flight

dfwskier
Aviator A

@jksobonya wrote:

Sorry for your trouble - unfortunately, flight delays and cancellations happen. I've personally never heard of a flight being delayed 14 times, and I fly fairly often.

 

Actually something like that happened to me in Denver. Also courtesy thunderstorms.

 

I was flying back to Dallas and my flight kept being rescheduled. Flights were being cancelled left and right. but mine kept being pushed back. Finally, my flight was cancelled . It was the last light that Southwest cancelled that day.

 

Of course by then all of the hotels near the airport were full. So it was the only time I slept on the floor at DIA.

 

Hint, if you ever have to do that, take one of the escalators to one of the second floor waiting areas. Much less traffic up there. You might actually able to get a bit of sleep . 

Re: Cancelled flight

jksobonya
Aviator A

@dfwskier wrote:

@jksobonya wrote:

Sorry for your trouble - unfortunately, flight delays and cancellations happen. I've personally never heard of a flight being delayed 14 times, and I fly fairly often.

 

Actually something like that happened to me in Denver. Also courtesy thunderstorms.

 

I was flying back to Dallas and my flight kept being rescheduled. Flights were being cancelled left and right. but mine kept being pushed back. Finally, my flight was cancelled . It was the last light that Southwest cancelled that day.

 

Of course by then all of the hotels near the airport were full. So it was the only time I slept on the floor at DIA.

 

Hint, if you ever have to do that, take one of the escalators to one of the second floor waiting areas. Much less traffic up there. You might actually able to get a bit of sleep . 


Good tip! There is only one time that I ever recall sleeping in an airport; I was traveling home with family from a wedding and a snowstorm hit which cancelled our flights. We got rebooked on a super early flight the next morning so we just decided to rough it in the airport. I can't even remember which airport we were stranded in - it was over 20 years ago.

 

--Jessica

Re: Cancelled flight

TheMiddleSeat
Aviator A

It appears the flight was cancelled/delayed due to weather in Denver.  The United flight on that same route departed on-time at 4:20pm but was diverted to Kansas City where it sat on the ground for 70 minutes before continuing on to Denver.  Afternoon/evening thunderstorms are quite common in Denver and can create frustrating delays even on the other side of the country.  Airlines do not offer compensation, food, or hotels when weather is the cause of the delay or cancellation.

 

Since this is a customer to customer forum you would be better off discussing the situation directly with Southwest

Contact Customer Relations 

 

--TheMiddleSeat

Re: Cancelled flight

bwallet
Frequent Flyer A

Actually, I think the fact that the flight was delayed 14 times is a good thing. That indicates that a) Southwest was trying to find a narrow window in a situation with weather issues to get out, and b) they were keeping passengers constantly advised of changes. Airlines can't help the weather, but they can help how they handle it. This sounds like a case were Southwest was working hard to do the right.

Re: Cancelled flight

NicoleAshley
Employee
Employee

@Sundance We're sincerely sorry to hear the details of your son's experience and for letting you both down. As a Customer-to-Customer support forum, we are not equipped to assist you here, but we encourage you to Contact Customer Relations for assistance documenting your concerns.

 

Nicole
Community Manager