(CNN) — Anger over the tidal wave of cancellations of Southwest Airlines flights continued to mount Thursday. Senior officials demanded action as the company issued further apologies for the crisis which is now in its eighth day of stranding or delaying hundreds of thousands of passengers.
On a day when more than 2,300 Southwest flights were canceled across the United States, the airline's chief commercial officer, Ryan Green, offered his regrets over the collapse of services, promising to rebuild customer relations that have sunk to rock bottom during the busy holiday travel period.
"My personal apology is the first step of making things right after many plans changed and experiences fell short of your expectations of us," Green said in a video issued Thursday.
"We're continuing to work to make this up to you, and you'll continue to hear about that soon. But for now, we're focused on restoring the reliability and level of customer experience we expect of ourselves, and you expect of us."
"You've got a company here that's got a lot of cleaning up to do," he said.
Elaine Chao, who served as Secretary of Transportation during the Trump administration, described the Southwest Airlines breakdown as "a failure of unbelievable proportions."
She told CNN it was "a perfect storm of all the things that have been going on with the company."
"It's going to take them a very long time" to rebuild trust with consumers, she added.
Among those affected was bride-to-be Katie Demeko from St. Louis, who had to postpone her wedding after her Southwest flight to Belize was canceled at the last minute.
"We went to the the airport, our flight was on time, and when we were getting ready to board, the captain came out gave a speech and basically told us the flight was canceled," she told CNN.
"At that point I had a lot of my family with me, I was in shock, We tried to rebook, and there was nothing."
Bride-to-be Katie Demko talks to CNN's Kaitlan Collins about missing her wedding in Belize after Southwest airlines canceled thousands of flights.
She said Southwest offered to rebook her on a January 2 flight, which would've been three days too late. While the wedding is now postponed, she and her family and friends have lost money on food and accommodation.
"We're just devastated," she said.
Southwest has previously warned that it could take days to clear the backlog of stranded people and lost luggage, but one of its unions offered a ray of hope, saying that things might be better by Friday.
On top of all that, there's increasing scrutiny of what led up to this meltdown, with operations at Denver International Airport under a microscope.
'Operational emergency' in Denver
Southwest's decision to enact "operational emergency" staffing procedures last week at the airport in Denver as a massive winter storm bore down is now believed to have paid a significant part in creating the airline's nationwide operational crisis.
Denver led the United States in cancellations on Wednesday and has been one of the nation's biggest problem spots for several days.
The Southwest emergency staffing procedures in Denver included requiring a note from a doctor to verify illness after an employee calls out sick, a Southwest spokesperson told CNN Wednesday.
The spokesperson could not say whether the staffing policy remains in place or when the special rules ended.
The operational emergency -- experienced only at Denver, according to the company -- is distinct from the issue the company says is to blame for the cascade of cancellations nationwide.
Denver International Airport has announced plans to conduct after-action reviews with the airport's three major carriers -- Frontier, Southwest and United -- to learn from the disruptions while the situation is still fresh.
A ray of hope?
A traveler looks at luggage in the baggage claim area inside the Southwest Airlines terminal at St. Louis Lambert International Airport on Wednesday.
Jeff Roberson/AP
Meanwhile, an official for the union representing Southwest pilots said their flight schedules were expected to be almost back to normal by the end of the work week.
Mike Santoro, vice president of the Southwest Airlines Pilots Association, told CNN's Wolf Blitzer on Wednesday that the union understands the airline is planning for a "mostly full schedule come Friday."
"The weather, you know, was a big event that triggered it, although that's no excuse for the lack of scheduling IT infrastructure which really caused the problem," Santoro said.
As of 8 a.m. ET Thursday, Southwest had canceled only 39 flights for Friday, according to FlightAware.
The union official said Southwest's scheduling infrastructure usually works well, but added this is not the first time they have seen a meltdown causing delays. "When you have these big weather events, it always seems to crash," said Santoro.
Southwest spokesperson Chris Perry told CNN the airline is not experiencing an issue with employees not showing up for work.
"We have not had staffing issues at any station across our operation and commend our people for the valiant work they are doing," Perry said.
Tough stats for Southwest this week
Travelers tag their bags at Orlando International Airport on December 28, 2022.
Paul Hennessy/Anadolu Agency/Getty Images
In all, Southwest has canceled about 15,700 flights since winter weather began disrupting air travel on December 22. (That figure includes the flights already canceled for Thursday.)
This is now a Southwest problem
Other US airlines flying in the same weather conditions have since recovered from the storm disruptions.
Southwest does not have interline agreements with other carriers that would allow its agents to rebook passengers on a different airline, leaving travelers in charge of exploring other options.
Buttigieg says he spoke directly to Southwest CEO Bob Jordan on Tuesday about the thousands of flights that have been canceled this week.
"Their system really has completely melted down," Buttigieg told Blitzer. "I made clear that our department will be holding them accountable for their responsibilities to customers, both to get them through this situation and to make sure that this can't happen again."
Those responsibilities include providing meal vouchers and hotel accommodations for passengers whose flights were disrupted "as a result of Southwest's decisions and actions," a Department of Transportation (DOT) spokesperson said.
US airlines are also required to provide cash refunds to passengers whose flights were canceled and opted not to travel, the DOT said.
Buttigieg told CNN the Department of Transportation is prepared to pursue fines against Southwest if there is evidence that the company has failed to meet its legal obligations, but he added that the department will be taking a closer look at consistent customer service problems at the airline.
The secretary said he told CEO Jordan that he expects Southwest to proactively offer refunds and expense reimbursement to affected passengers without them having to ask.
What customers should do
One travel expert cautions to proceed carefully regarding refunds.
"While Southwest is being vague on how much they will reimburse, I would avoid any expensive hotels or restaurants. Use Google Hotels to find nearby hotels near the airport where you are stranded."
And he also cautions about piling up a big tab.
"Do a few Google searches such as 'free things to do near me.' I doubt Southwest is going to reimburse tours or other paid activities, so I would not book any expensive excursions that you cannot afford."
Southwest Airlines CEO Bob Jordan released an apology to stranded travelers as the beleaguered airline continues to grapple with what US Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg has referred to as a complete "meltdown" of the system. In all, Southwest has canceled more than 15,700 flights since winter weather began disrupting air travel on December 22.
What's the hit to Southwest's reputation?
"It is going to take a long time for Southwest Airlines to earn back public trust," Dengler of The Vacationer said.
"While the extreme weather affected other airlines, Southwest experienced a true meltdown at the worst possible time. Many Americans have to decide on whether or not to wait it out or spend potentially thousands of dollars to get home that may or may not be fully reimbursed by Southwest."
He noted that "some households did not even have the option to wait it out because one or multiple members had to return to work early this week. Unfortunately, that is going to be a hardship for many families, and the time lost is going to be significant in many cases."
"A large portion of Americans only fly once per year, and they want a problem-free experience. I believe many people are going to pause when booking their next flight and they see Southwest Airlines as the cheapest option."
CNN's Gregory Wallace, Andy Rose, Andi Babineau, Adrienne Broaddus, Dave Alsap, Nick Valencia, David Goldman, Leslie Perrot, Carlos Suarez and Ross Levitt contributed to this story.
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