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The teachers from Wauwatosa, Wisconsin, were among thousands for Southwest flight cancellations.
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Marcus and Andrea Grasenick said they missed their honeymoon cruise after a canceled flight.
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Southwest canceled more flights than any other airline after storms hit the US over Christmas.
Two Wisconsin teachers were ready to leave for their dream honeymoon the day after Christmas, but after Southwest Airlines canceled thousands of flights, the couple found themselves back home the next day and lost $4,000.
Marcus and Andrea Grasenick of Wauwatosa, Wisconsin, told local outlet TMJ4 they flew to Nashville on Monday, where they awaited word on their connecting Southwest flight. After hours had passed without knowing if the flight would depart, they were told that it had been canceled and their luggage could not be immediately collected and returned to them.
They arrived home in Wisconsin a day later, without their luggage, having flown home on a different airline.
“This is the only break we have in common so we can’t even take another time to make it up because this is the only one. This is the only shot we had,” Andrea Grasenick told TMJ4.
“It’s time, and you can’t give that time back,” she said, adding that it would be great if they got back the $4,000 spent on the cruise.
“If you could do that, great. But the memories we would make with each other and with our friends, you can’t put a price on that,” she said.
The pair also told the outlet that they had received “radio silence” from Southwest and would be hesitant before choosing the airline in the future.
The Grasenicks were among thousands of Americans who suffered flight cancellations after Southwest suffered an operational meltdown this week. Thousands of flights from several airlines were canceled after severe winter storms over the Christmas weekend, but passengers in the Southwest saw the worst.
Southwest canceled more than 2,900 flights on Monday, accounting for about half of all canceled flights worldwide that day. According to FlightAware, the cancellations accounted for 70% of Southwest’s total scheduled trips for the day. The disruptions rippled through the travel industry, causing a shortage of rental cars and higher flight prices.
Reached for comment, a Southwest Insider spokesperson referred to their latest updates page and noted that the company plans to return to normal business operations on Friday. The spokesperson also said Southwest customers can rebook trips, request a refund and report missing luggage through a trip interruption portal on their site.
Other travellers also reported missing their cruise ship departure after canceled flights. One cruise ship, the Carnival Celebration, even delayed its departure slightly on Tuesday to give some passengers more time to make it, according to the blog Cruise Hive. Hundreds of guests still missed the boat.
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Read the original article on Business Insider
