Southwest flight cancellations starting to affect travelers on other airlines as well

BOSTON — The Southwest flight cancellations are starting to affect travelers on other airlines as well.

“We had a flight that got delayed on the way out and caused us to not be able to get on the flight, so we kind of just got a refund issued, then the Southwest thing happened the next day and it was like four times as much to get that same flight,” said Louis Carucci.

Carucci was visiting family in Massachusetts for Christmas.

He wasn’t even flying Southwest, but now that most of their flights are canceled, other airlines are booked up or way more expensive than normal.

So he couldn’t find another United flight to fly back home to Denver.

“It’s just very expensive and if you can even get them, some are not even available until the 2nd and we’re trying to get home for the New Year,” said Carucci.

A trickle-down effect from the Southwest nightmare is now impacting lots of other travelers.

That’s why Carucci and many other stranded travelers are renting cars instead.

Carucci plans to drive 28 hours straight to Denver from Boston.

“We’re gonna try to take shifts on the ride out and hopefully a couple of solid six-hour shifts out of each of us,” said Carucci.

Meanwhile, Southwest counters were virtually empty Wednesday night after most of their flights were canceled out of Logan Airport for the third day.

As stranded travelers figure out other options, they’re hoping to get reimbursed for all the extra costs they’ve picked up this week.

Southwest has set up a link for customers to go on and request refunds and reimbursements for any hotels or costs they’ve been forced to pay for because of all these cancellations.

This is a developing story. Check back for updates as more information becomes available.

Download the FREE Boston 25 News app for breaking news alerts.

Follow Boston 25 News on Facebook and Twitter. | Watch Boston 25 News NOW

©2022 Cox Media Group