With a planned trip to see my family in Arizona for Easter scuttled, I had no need for my American Airlines return flight from Phoenix to Chicago on April 14. I put the advice to the test this week, albeit it without putting much money on the line. Department of Transportation warned airlines last week that the policy still applies despite the historic level of flight cancellations that have left airports eerily empty. The warning came after a spike in complaints about denied refunds.įor weeks, travel experts – myself included – have been telling passengers with nonrefundable tickets not to rush to cancel booked flights in hopes the airline will cancel or change it first and refund their money. Southwest pilots and flight attendants have struggled to find hotel rooms, transportation and meals while on the road.Watch Video: Guide to get flights refunded when airlines cancel on youĪs many travelers are learning for the first time during the coronavirus pandemic, airlines owe you a refund – not just a travel voucher – if they cancel your flight or change it significantly. The airline has also been dealing with the labor shortages that are plaguing many industries. Southwest disagrees with the claim that any COVID-related changes require negotiation, it told Bloomberg. On Friday, SWAPA asked a federal court to block the company from enforcing the directive, saying it violates the Railway Labor Act (which governs labor relations in the railroad and airline industries). Some employees have already pushed back against the mandate. "I encourage all Southwest Employees to meet the federal directive, as quickly as possible, since we value every individual and want to ensure job security for all." "Southwest Airlines must join our industry peers in complying with the federal government's COVID-19 vaccination directive," said Gary Kelly, Southwest Airlines Chairman and CEO. The Coronavirus Crisis Faced with losing their jobs, even the most hesitant are getting vaccinated Southwest announced in early October that it will require all employees to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 - or approved for a religious or medical accommodation - by Dec. And after seeing an initial spike in demand for leisure travel earlier this summer, the airline cautioned that the delta variant is complicating its plans for a comeback: It warned in August that bookings were falling and cancellations were on the rise. In June, it was hit by a pair of system outages that caused widespread delays over the course of two days. Many airlines have struggled throughout the pandemic, and Southwest is no exception. It's been a challenging travel season for Southwest Southwest has not responded to NPR's requests for comment. The union said its pilots are frustrated because "our operation is running on empty due to a lack of support from the Company," and said SWAPA leadership will meet with Southwest's vice president of flight operations on Monday afternoon to discuss their concerns. "Our operation and our frontline employees have endured continuous and unending disruptions since the first time our airline made headlines in early June due to widespread IT failures." "SWA has claimed that the immediate causes of this weekend's meltdown were staffing at Jacksonville Center and weather in the southeast U.S., but what was a minor temporary event for other carriers devastated Southwest Airlines because our operation has become brittle and subject to massive failures under the slightest pressure," the union said. It disputed the carrier's characterization of the reason for the weekend's disruptions. The Southwest Airlines Pilots Association said on Sunday that "there are no work slowdowns or sickouts either related to the recent mandatory vaccine mandate or otherwise." Southwest executives and employees have denied that, even though the theory has been embraced by prominent conservatives including Sen. He also suggested that some pilots are calling in sick or refusing to work in opposition to the COVID-19 vaccine mandate that Southwest announced earlier this month. Goats and Soda Coronavirus FAQ: What's The Advice About Traveling In The Delta Variant Era?
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