Southwest, Other Airline Cancellations At DC Airports Continue

VIRGINIA — Hundreds of Southwest Airlines flights have been canceled at Eastern airports Tuesday as the fallout from the pre-Christmas storm continues.

At Reagan National Airport in Washington, D.C., 89 flights were canceled in the past 24 hours as of Tuesday morning, according to the tracker site FlightAware.

Dulles Airport said 30 flights were canceled in the past day.

The biggest trouble spot for DC/Northern Virginia fliers was Baltimore-Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport, which had 303 flights canceled at the Southwest Airline hub in the past 24 hours as of Tuesday morning.

Thousands of Southwest passengers traveling after the Christmas holiday weekend were left wondering whether they would be affected by the airline's mass cancellations that continued into Tuesday morning, with the airline saying it would operate roughly a third of its schedule over the next several days.

"Due to adverse weather events and their resulting effects, we are currently experiencing operational disruptions and are working diligently and safely to restore normal flight schedules as quickly as possible," the airline wrote in an advisory on its website.

WTOP reporter Nick Iannelli was among the thousands ofSouthwest customerssearching for a way back to The District after being stranded in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

“I’m one of those people who just checked. Let’s see if it’s on-time, nope, it’s canceled. Got no notification,” said Iannelli as he prepared to drive to D.C.

“It’s normally about an hour and a half flight, it’s going to be about a 12- to 13-hour drive,” he added.

In an update Monday, the airline said it was fully staffed and prepared for the holiday weekend when the severe weather hit.

Southwest Airlines added that customers can get their tickets refunded, but warned those who plan to immediately rebook that availability is limited.

"All customers traveling through January 2, 2023 are able to rebook in the original class of service or travel standby (within 14 days of your original date of travel between the original city-pairs and in accordance with our accommodation procedures) without paying additional charges; please know available inventory is limited during the holidays. Learn more," Southwest said Tuesday.

On Monday, people waited in line at the Southwest ticketing counter for hours. Some travelers told WBAL they waited since 2:30 a.m. People slept in the airport, with shorter lines visible on Tuesday. At least two travelers told the TV station they weren't waiting for another flight.

"My son is coming to get me and I'm getting a car in Hagerstown and driving to Detroit. (I) can't even find any cars here to rent. Everybody else is probably doing the same thing," said David Engle.

Keela Boose said her Southwest flight to Norfolk, Virginia, was canceled, and she has an appointment there Tuesday.

"I'm a little unnerved," Boose said. "No one could tell when I could get another flight. They told me the next time I could get another flight is Dec. 29 ... I'm going to have to take a train."

Of the more than 2,883 flights within, into, or out of the United States Tuesday that have been canceled—more than 2,500 of those flights were with Southwest Airlines, according to flight tracking website FlightAware.

In addition, according to FlightAware, the total number of delays within, into, or out of the United States is 983.

The continued cancellations come following an even larger series of cancellations the day after Christmas. On Monday, 3,989 flights were canceled, 2,909 of which were Southwest flights.

Scenes from airports shared on social media showed bags piled up at airports across the country as customers were left stranded.

The U.S. Department of Transportation said it will examine whether the cancellations were controllable and if Southwest is complying with its customer service plan.

The airline's woes come after a massive winter storm pummeled large parts of the country with heavy snowfall, high winds and bone chilling temperatures. The storm knocked out power to millions and wreaked havoc on Americans' travel plans.

Related: Southwest Cancellations Continue Into Tuesday After Christmas Holiday