Southwest flights almost normal after holiday chaos
Southwest flights almost normal after holiday chaos 01:49
Southwest Airlines, which angered customers with thousands of flight cancellations over the holidays, is offering 25,000 frequent flyer points to travelers affected by the epic meltdown.
Southwest CEO Bob Jordan wrote in a letter to concerned travelers that the 25,000 points are worth more than $300, never expire and have no blackout dates, according to The Points Guy’s Zach Griff sent a picture of the offer on Twitter.
Southwest said in an email they are giving out 25,000 points to people whose flights were canceled or delayed by more than three hours between Dec. 24 and Jan. 2. The airline said it will award 25,000 points for every flight paid and booked on its reservation.
The offer comes after the Dallas-based airline canceled thousands of flights a day between December 22 and January 1, disrupting many passengers’ vacation plans. The airline blamed winter weather for the flight disruptions, but other airlines experiencing weather-related issues quickly found their footing, U.S. Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg said in a Dec. 29 letter to the airline.
Southwest is “really paying for the meltdown,” Griff noted on Twitter, adding that he also received a $39 refund, a $149 refund, and a $250 travel credit from the airline Received dollars for a flight cancellation in Hawaii over the holidays.
Wow, @SouthwestAir really paying for the meltdown.
I just received an apology email signed by CEO Bob Jordan with 25,000 Rapid Rewards points (per person) worth over $300
This is in addition to the $39 refund, $149 refund and $250 travel credit I have already received. pic.twitter.com/0dbjCxoM0M
— Zach Griff (@_ZachGriff) January 3, 2023
Jordan called the offer of 25,000 frequent flyer points a “goodwill gesture.”
“I know that no apology can undo your experience,” Jordan wrote in the letter. “For those who have requested refunds and refunds and/or are waiting to be reunited with their lost bag(s), these processes are being handled with great urgency and we appreciate your patience.”
The frequent flyer points will be offered to travelers from the Southwest whose flights were disrupted between Dec. 24 and Jan. 2, according to The Wall Street Journal.
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