Southwest Airlines has been sued by a passenger who said it failed to supply refunds to passengers left stranded when an operational meltdown led the carrier to cancel greater than 15,000 flights late last month.
In a proposed class motion filed on Dec. 30 in Recent Orleans federal court, Eric Capdeville accused Southwest of breach of contract after a fierce winter storm that swept across the US shortly before Christmas upended the carrier’s schedule.
Though Southwest has promised to reimburse passengers for expenses, Capdeville said it offered only a credit to him and his daughter after scrapping their Dec. 27 flight to Portland, Ore., from Recent Orleans and being unable to book alternative travel.
Affected passengers “cannot use their airline tickets through no fault of their very own they usually will not be getting the advantage of their bargain with defendant,” the criticism said.
Capdeville, a Marrero, La., resident, is looking for damages for passengers on Southwest flights canceled since Dec. 24 and who didn’t receive refunds or expense reimbursements.
In an announcement on Tuesday, Southwest had no comment on the lawsuit, but said it had “several high priority efforts underway to do right by our customers, including processing refunds from canceled flights, and reimbursing customers for expenses incurred in consequence of the irregular operations.”
Capdeville’s lawyer didn’t immediately reply to requests for extra comment.
The meltdown at Dallas-based Southwest has been blamed on staffing shortages and outdated flight scheduling software.
Southwest has said it could reimburse affected passengers for reasonable expenses reminiscent of last-minute hotel, rental automotive and dining costs, but it surely might take several weeks.
The carrier largely restored normal operations on Dec. 30, several days after other airlines had recovered from the storm.
In a Dec. 29 letter to Southwest chief executive Bob Jordan, Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg called the disruptions “unacceptable” and said the law requires refunds when carriers cancel flights unless passengers accept rebooking.
Southwest Airlines has been sued by a passenger who said it failed to supply refunds to passengers left stranded when an operational meltdown led the carrier to cancel greater than 15,000 flights late last month.
In a proposed class motion filed on Dec. 30 in Recent Orleans federal court, Eric Capdeville accused Southwest of breach of contract after a fierce winter storm that swept across the US shortly before Christmas upended the carrier’s schedule.
Though Southwest has promised to reimburse passengers for expenses, Capdeville said it offered only a credit to him and his daughter after scrapping their Dec. 27 flight to Portland, Ore., from Recent Orleans and being unable to book alternative travel.
Affected passengers “cannot use their airline tickets through no fault of their very own they usually will not be getting the advantage of their bargain with defendant,” the criticism said.
Capdeville, a Marrero, La., resident, is looking for damages for passengers on Southwest flights canceled since Dec. 24 and who didn’t receive refunds or expense reimbursements.
In an announcement on Tuesday, Southwest had no comment on the lawsuit, but said it had “several high priority efforts underway to do right by our customers, including processing refunds from canceled flights, and reimbursing customers for expenses incurred in consequence of the irregular operations.”
Capdeville’s lawyer didn’t immediately reply to requests for extra comment.
The meltdown at Dallas-based Southwest has been blamed on staffing shortages and outdated flight scheduling software.
Southwest has said it could reimburse affected passengers for reasonable expenses reminiscent of last-minute hotel, rental automotive and dining costs, but it surely might take several weeks.
The carrier largely restored normal operations on Dec. 30, several days after other airlines had recovered from the storm.
In a Dec. 29 letter to Southwest chief executive Bob Jordan, Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg called the disruptions “unacceptable” and said the law requires refunds when carriers cancel flights unless passengers accept rebooking.
