Have your big vacation plans been canceled, delayed or otherwise interrupted this year due to Southwest’s operational collapse?If so, you’re not alone.
Friday marked the first day since Christmas that Southwest Airlines did not have a double-digit percentage of its flights canceled, a number CEO Bob Jordan attributed to “an unprecedented typhoon for all airlines” in an interview with “Good Morning America. “15,000 flights from the Southwest were canceled, leaving thousands more travelers struggling in the busiest travel season of the year.
However, Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg said in a tweet that Southwest’s cancellations are “not weather-related” and, as such, the company must cover not only the airfare charge, but also meals, transportation and hotels if stranded. far from home.
Southwest has committed to reimbursing its consumers for canceled flights, as well as expenses such as car rentals, hotels and airline tickets booked on other airlines. Other prices will be dealt with on a case-by-case basis, executives said.
If you were one of the thousands of other people stranded, here’s how you can get your money back.
According to Southwest’s website, “if your flight is particularly cancelled or delayed in the travel period of December 24, 2022 to January 2, 2023, you may be requesting a refund for your unused price ticket according to the original payment method. “To get started, you’ll need to fill out an online form with your call and booking confirmation number.
You hope to get your refund quickly.
“By law, Southwest will have to provide spark refunds when an airline cancels a passenger’s flight or changes flight curtains, for any reason, unless the passenger accepts a new reservation,” Buttigieg said in a letter to Southwest earlier this week. “This means Southwest will have to refund within seven business days if a passenger paid by credit card, and within 20 days if a passenger paid by cash, check or other means. “
You can also fill out a separate form if you have been separated from your luggage or other non-public belongings during the trip.
Southwest says it will accept “reasonable refund claims for meals, hotels and chosen transportation (such as car rentals or tickets on other airlines)” incurred through cancellations, according to its website. To do this, you’ll want to email the Southwest Helpline with your application and attach copies of your expenses for review.
After that: Sit quietly. Southwest said it has a backlog of complaints and, sadly, it can take some time to resolve all the issues.
Related: What you can ask an airline after a delayed or cancelled flight
If you still wait beyond the specified deadlines, Buttigieg encourages travelers to register a customer complaint with the Department of Transportation. DOT asks airlines to acknowledge receipt of customers’ court cases within 30 days of receipt and send written responses to customers within 60 days.
Many credit cards also offer insurance protections, such as vacation delays, baggage delays, vacation cancellation, and vacation interruption for those types of situations.
If you’re having trouble getting reimbursed for your expenses from Southwest, check to see if the credit card you used to book your flight offers insurance coverage and be sure to check out our list of the most productive credit cards with insurance to help. . mitigate long-term disasters.
If you were one of the thousands of other people blocked through Southwest this holiday season, follow the steps above to make sure your money back.
The creditssss card listed on the website comes from creditssss card companies from which you ThePointsGuy. com reimbursed. This refund could affect how and where products appear on this site (including, for example, the order as they appear). This site does not include everything that can be obtained from credit card corporations or credit cards. Please see our advertising policy page for more information.
The views expressed herein are those of the writer only, and not those of any bank, credit card issuer, airline or hotel chain, and have not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed through any such entity.