Baggage From Southwest Airlines Cancellation Fiasco Stuck in Transit

Southwest Airlines has canceled more than 13,000 flights since last Thursday. Mountains of luggage remain.

The meltdown stems from bad weather, how Southwest's flights are routed and a crew-scheduling system that buckled. As Southwest customers struggle to get to their destinations, many have become separated from their luggage.

Eugene Garcia/Associated Press

Southwest has called the disruption unacceptable. The airline is limiting new bookings on the planes it plans to fly in the coming days, and it has come under more scrutiny from Washington for its holiday storm meltdown.

Meanwhile, bag backlogs are piling up at Southwest baggage claim offices, including the Hollywood Burbank Airport.

Kirby Lee/Associated Press

Southwest is known for letting travelers check up to two bags for free. Some passengers say they aren’t sure if or when they will get their luggage back after their flights were scrapped.

Svet Jacqueline/ZUMA Press

Southwest canceled more than 2,500 flights on Wednesday, according to FlightAware, accounting for more than half of all flight cancellations globally.

Paul Christian Gordon/ZUMA Press

Southwest has created a section of its website for customers to request refunds for canceled flights and reimbursement for missing bags.

Eugene Garcia/Associated Press

Federal regulation requires airlines to compensate passengers for any bags that are delayed, lost or damaged. For domestic flights, the maximum liability amount is $3,800.

Kirby Lee/Associated Press

Cover image by Tyler Pasciak LaRiviere/Chicago Sun-Times/Associated Press
Produced by Elena Scotti and Ericka Burchett