ATLANTA — Southwest Airlines canceled another 2,500 flights on Wednesday leaving thousands of metro Atlantans stranded across the country and even more stuck in Atlanta.
Channel 2′s Justin Carter was at Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport on Wednesday among countless travelers who say they are done with Southwest.
“We’re just really grateful to be home at this point,” Shannon Echols said.
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Echols and the rest of her family of four live in Decatur and told Carter that after having their flights canceled, they were forced to book one-way tickets with Delta just to get back home from Denver.
“In times like this, it is always important to show grace, but I also think you should take care of your consumers and communicate effectively,” Echols said.
They say they waited over six hours to get through to a customer service representative by phone.
Southwest says it operates on what is known as a point to point flight system, meaning planes fly consecutive routes and pick up different crews along the way. Because of this, one cancellation can affect thousands of people.
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Quinn, an Indiana resident, told Carter that she has been stuck in Atlanta since Christmas Eve.
“I have never dealt with anything like this, especially with any airline,” she said.
She says her hotel money is quickly running out and she can’t afford to rent a car.
“They kept cancelling my ticket. This is the third time now, and I won’t be getting home until the first,” Quinn explained.
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Southwest Airlines have blamed these issues on several factors, including winter storm delays, aggressive flight scheduling and an outdated system.
U.S. Senators Ed Markey and Richard Blumenthal are now calling for Southwest to pay passengers for recently canceled flights.
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