A proposed class-action lawsuit was filed against Southwest Airlines on behalf of two San Diego County residents who bought tickets for flights that were canceled during the airline's scheduling-system meltdown over the holidays.
The suit was filed Friday in San Diego Superior Court on behalf of local residents Carla Hill and Cameron Youssef.
Hill purchased a ticket at an "exorbitant" cost to fly her son from Ohio to San Diego for the holidays, but his flight was among the widespread cancellations of Southwest flights nationwide, according to the lawsuit.
Youssef and his spouse were stranded in Nashville, Tennessee, for several days and unable to return to San Diego "due to SWA's malfeasance," the lawsuit alleges.
The lawsuit alleges that regardless of weather conditions, Southwest "knew or should have known it could not perform due to woefully inadequate staffing and complete inability to provide services as promised."
Alex Dychter, attorney for Hill and Youssef, said his clients are looking for systemic change.
“My clients are very adamant of having a bolstered Passenger Bill of Rights," he said. "They really want to make sure (it) almost commensurate with what we have in Europe where passengers have more rights. So when an airline does have staffing issues, does fail to book travel in a prudent, business-like manner, they do take care of the passengers and consumers in a proper way.”
In a statement, Southwest Airlines said, "There are several high priority efforts under way to do right by our customers, including processing refunds from canceled flights, and reimbursing customers for expenses incurred as a result of the irregular operations. We have a long and proud 51-year history of delivering on our customers' expectations, and we are committed to the all-important imperative of taking care of them during operational disruptions. In fact, on Dec. 28, we launched a website to assist customers with requesting refunds, and those requests are being processed. www.southwest.com/traveldisruption."
The cancellations of thousands of flights during the holiday season led Southwest Airlines to issue an apology, including a televised statement from Southwest CEO Bob Jordan, who said the carrier would "make good" with passengers affected by the company's meltdown.
"This has impacted so many people — so many customers — over the holidays," Jordan said. "I'm extremely sorry for that. There's just no way almost to apologize enough."
Consumer travel advocate and former airline executive Kurt Ebenhoch said this meltdown was of Southwest's own making and not related to any weather issue. He said the airline ignored infrastructure issues until it was too late.
“There were warning signs of this developing over the past couple of years," Ebenhoch said. "The warning signs were well known. Their own pilots were warning the company. The flight attendants were warning the company.”
Some passengers at San Diego International Airport on Tuesday were sympathetic to the airlines, saying they hope the company pulls through and none of the workers will be affected by the debacle.
“I love Southwest, so it's very sad what's happening," said San Diego native Linda Raichle. “I just wish them the best. I hope they worked this out with minimal repercussions, but we'll see.”
Others, such as James Gonzales, who had to delay a trip to Reno to see his father for a week, said this should serve as a warning for the industry.
“I hope it's a wake-up call to both the transportation industry and other industries of the ways that climate change can impact the economy going into the future and being able to be prepared for different kinds of disasters,” he said.
On Tuesday, Southwest also announced that it will offer 25,000 frequent flier miles to some customers affected by the meltdown. Those customers should receive an email from the airline with the offer.
