A Bay Area family says they lost their entire $10,000 vacation due to air travel chaos as they attempted to leave SFO for a trip to Jamaica.
Their itinerary was a complex web of independent bookings that all fell apart upon their first flight from SFO to Miami via Southwest Airlines was canceled Tuesday morning.
From there they were to fly to Jamaica via American Airlines. But when the Khuranas called American to reschedule their international flight, they were told they would have to start all over and rebook everything.
In total, the Khuranas said they lost nearly $10,000 in airline tickets, Airbnb reservations and prepaid long-term parking at SFO.
“[American Airlines] just told us that [the Southwest cancellation] was not their problem,” Mr Khurana said as his family collected their luggage to return home. “If we wanted a refund, it would have to be with Southwest.”
Southwest Airlines announced on Monday it will operate about a third of scheduled flights over the next few days as wintry weather continues to wreak havoc on holiday travel across the United States
The volume of cancellations prompted the U.S. Department of Transportation to say he investigates whether Southwest could have done more to warn them.
The Khuranas, who declined to give their first names, also didn’t find much empathy from their Airbnb hosts, who the family says have all refused to refund their reservations.
“I understand why owners have to be strict, but that’s the definition of a freak of nature,” Mr Khurana said. “Going forward, I don’t think we’re going to book restrictive rates or prepay anything again. Once you pull out a pin, everything falls apart.
With two children in college, the Khuranas looked forward to the rare chance to reunite their family. But without their flight from SFO, they returned home to Danville to seek other flights.
“At least we had some family time this morning,” Ms Khurana said with a tired laugh.
A Southwest Airlines spokesperson urged passengers to use this link to check flight status and said, “We were fully booked and prepared for the approaching holiday weekend when severe weather swept across the continent, where Southwest is the largest carrier in 23 of the world’s top 25 markets. trip to the United States. These operational conditions have forced daily changes to our flight schedule at a volume and scale that still have the tools our teams use to restore the airline to full capacity.
SFO has been contacted for comment.
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