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What weather conditions?

Jgardner
Explorer C

My return flight got canceled on September 14th due to said weather conditions. Weather conditions that weren’t scheduled to take effect until the end of the day on September 15th. Over a full day later. To make matters worst the storm of concern is not coming anywhere near New Orleans. The next flight that southwest could put me on wasn’t until 3 days later. The first agent that I spoke with told me that I could get a refund. But when I called back, the second agent denied me of my money. Instead she was only able to book me on another flight landing in a neighboring state. Once there, I had no other choice but to spend an additional $500+ on transportation back home. The weather here in New Orleans was excellent when I returned, and just as good today. The storm still hasn’t made landfall. This was a horrible experience and a huge inconvenience.

2 REPLIES 2

Re: What weather conditions?

TheMiddleSeat
Aviator A

All airlines make adjustments to their schedule well in advance of expected major storms so it's not surprising that Southwest is cancelling flights for Hurricane Sally.  They also issue travel advisories that allow for flyers to adjust their flights to other days or even nearby airports.  Southwest's current advisory covers New Orleans Monday, Sept 14 through Wednesday, Sept 16.

 

Since your flight was cancelled you were entitled to a cash refund if you wanted it so the first agent you spoke with was correct.  It appears the second agent was only factoring the advisory which allows you to move to a different flight.  Clearly, flying to a neighboring state would not put you at your destination and thus it's surprising that you accepted the offer without realizing the additional costs you would incur.

 

Since you accepted the offer and Southwest delivered the agreed upon arrangement I would think it's unlikely you would get any additional compensation from Southwest, but it would not hurt to ask.  I would contact customer relations with all of the details, including information about the additional ticket you purchased.  Good luck

 

Contact Customer Relations 

 

--TheMiddleSeat

Re: What weather conditions?

bec102896
Aviator A

Sorry to hear your flight was cancelled because of the hurricane. As already mentioned airlines will cancel flights ahead of the storm to avoid leaving planes in danger of the hurricane. My dad was suppose to fly to Pensacola today he has been cancelled 3 times and now won't leave till Thursday at the earliest if the storm doesn't hurt the airport. It's all precautionary by the airlines as well as the airport as they have to prep the grounds to make sure stuff doesn't go flying.