U.S. passenger sues Southwest Airways for not offering refunds after 1000’s of cancelled flightsYesterday

Southwest Airways has been sued by a passenger who stated it failed to offer refunds to passengers left stranded when an operational meltdown led the provider to cancel greater than 15,000 flights late final month.

In a proposed class motion filed on Dec. 30 in New Orleans federal court docket, Eric Capdeville accused Southwest of breach of contract after a fierce winter storm that swept throughout the US shortly earlier than Christmas upended the provider’s schedule.

Although Southwest LUV-N has promised to reimburse passengers for bills, Capdeville stated it provided solely a credit score to him and his daughter after scrapping their Dec. 27 flight to Portland, Oregon from New Orleans and being unable to ebook different journey.

Affected passengers “can not use their airline tickets by no fault of their very own and they don’t seem to be getting the advantage of their cut price with defendant,” the criticism stated.

Capdeville, a Marrero, Louisiana resident, is in search of damages for passengers on Southwest flights cancelled since Dec. 24, and who didn’t obtain refunds or expense reimbursements.

In a press release on Tuesday, Southwest had no touch upon the lawsuit, however stated it had “a number of excessive precedence efforts below strategy to do proper by our clients, together with processing refunds from cancelled flights, and reimbursing clients for bills incurred because of the irregular operations.”

Capdeville’s lawyer didn’t instantly reply to requests for extra remark.

The meltdown at Dallas-based Southwest has been blamed on staffing shortages and outdated flight scheduling software program.

Southwest has stated it could reimburse affected passengers for cheap bills resembling last-minute lodge, rental automobile and eating prices, but it surely may take a number of weeks.

The provider largely restored regular operations on Dec. 30, a number of days after different airways had recovered from the storm.

In a Dec. 29 letter to Southwest Chief Govt Bob Jordan, Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg known as the disruptions “unacceptable” and stated the regulation requires refunds when carriers cancel flights except passengers settle for rebooking.

The case is Capdeville v Southwest Airways Co, U.S. District Courtroom, Jap District of Louisiana, No. 22-05590.