Southwest Airlines cancellations: Hundreds of pieces of luggage stranded at Pittsburgh International Airport
PITTSBURGH (KDKA) — Hundreds of pieces of luggage are stranded at Pittsburgh International Airport after Southwest Airlines' widespread cancellations.
Travelers like Lisa Kaufold of Chicago are annoyed and tired. Kaufold and her husband never got to spend Christmas with family in Munhall. After three canceled flights in Chicago, their bags made it to Pittsburgh. Instead of waiting any longer, they drove to the airport to pick up their luggage.
"We came to the airport yesterday and asked where it was located and they said it was still in Chicago," Kaufold said. "We were told it was here. So they said they would give us a call. We got the call today and here we are."
But Nate Roe of Fox Chapel wasn't as fortunate. Roe went on a ski trip to Colorado in early December. Before Christmas, his Southwest flight was canceled. He flew another airline to get home, but he learned his bags are still in Denver.
"They are going to try their best to get them back," Roe said. "They think the airlines are going to catch up to this backlog and start sending flights. They told me there are 9,000 bags in Denver."
Southwest employees were seen tagging bags on Wednesday, but they were not allowed to talk to the media. Many travelers received a $200 voucher as compensation.
Kellie Gormly lives on Neville Island. She recently flew from Texas to Mississippi and then Baltimore before driving home in a rental car from Virginia. After a lot of headaches, she finally has her bags.
"The Southwest people here were very nice and sympathetic," she said. "They had us fill out a claim form and they said they will notify Baltimore. I described what was in my bags. Then I got a call yesterday saying my bags are here."
A Southwest Airlines spokesperson said Wednesday that she doesn't have a specific number of pieces of luggage left behind, only saying, "Our teams have begun moving baggage out of airports and to other facilities as we continue the work of reuniting customers with their bags."
There are 238 scheduled flights in Pittsburgh on Thursday, and 34 are canceled. They are all Southwest flights.
