Canceled Southwest Flights Leave Hundreds Stranded at Bay Area Airports

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Southwest Airlines continues to work on catching up with thousands of delayed and canceled flights, which have left many travelers stranded at airports.

The airlines on Monday said it plans to operate roughly one-third of its normal schedule in the coming days.

"This will help us to reposition flight crews who are out of position," a Southwest spokesperson said.

In the Bay Area, it has been a growing frustration and complete mayhem for families stuck at airports trying to find a way to their destination.

"They told us our plane was there, which it was, but they had no flight crew to take us," traveler Jason Childs said.

Childs' flight from Oakland International Airport to Las Vegas was canceled. He is one of hundreds stranded at the Oakland airport.

Over the holiday weekend, storms forced thousands of cancellations on the airline.

"With more than half of the airports where we operate in the continental U.S. under duress from the storm, Southwest is uniquely affected given our size and structure," Southwest said in a statement on Christmas Eve.

The airline posted an advisory for travelers on its website.

NBC Bay Area's Jessica Aguirre, Chris Chmura and Scott Budman examine the holiday travel nightmares.

FlightAware late Monday reported the following:

  • San Francisco International Airport had at least 235 delays on Monday, with at least 85 flight canceled
  • San Jose International Airport reported at least 62 delays and 153 cancellations on Monday
  • Oakland International Airport saw at least 43 delays and at least 165 cancellations

It was not immediately known how many of the delayed and canceled flights in the Bay Area were tied to Southwest.

In a statement, Southwest wrote in part "our employees and crews scheduled to work this holiday season are showing up in every single way." But a leaked memo from the airline states it has entered a state of operational emergency due to an unusually high number of absences.

The United State Department of Transportation said it will examine whether cancellations were controllable and if Southwest is complying with the rules.

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