Of all the Southwest customers who had their flights canceled this winter, few have been more stressed than Wendi Reichstein, whose fiancé’s flight was canceled five days before her wedding.
“As a loyal traveler and supporter of the #Southwest for YEARS, I would like to personally thank you for canceling all of my family’s (including Groom’s) flights FOR MY WEDDING,” Reichstein tweeted on Dec. 27.
Wendi Reichstein and her fiance pose for a photo. Southwest canceled her fiancé’s flight five days before her wedding in the blizzards of 2022.
(FOX 7 Austin)
“Things went wrong related to the wedding that I was mentally prepared for,” Reichstein told FOX 7 Austin. “Groom’s flight being canceled and, you know, having to tell him, ‘There’s a chance you need to get in the car right now and drive to get there in time to get married,’ wasn’t something I had.” ready for.
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According to Reichstein, Southwest also “canceled his parents’ flights, as well as the flights of his sister, brother-in-law, and two nieces. His parents were able to rebook, and his sister and brother-in-law are currently traveling by road.” 16 hours from Fort Lauderdale to Houston to make it to our wedding on time.”
A Southwest Airlines passenger jet sits at a gate on Concourse C of the Denver International Airport on Wednesday, Oct. 6, 2021, in Denver. A Southwest Airlines pilot is suing the company, her union, and a former colleague who pleaded guilty last year to stripping in front of her during a flight on Wednesday, Oct. 5, 2022.
(AP Photo/David Zalubowski)
“To really be at the mercy of Southwest, which is canceling all these flights and people don’t know if their flight is going to take off or when it’s going to take off, I think that’s the most frustrating thing.” part of all this,” Reichstein said.
Southwest has blamed its “peer-to-peer” business model for failures during this winter blizzard. The point-to-point model allows passengers to fly from one small airport to another instead of the “hub and spoke” model that forces passengers to go to a major airport and change planes.
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While the “point-to-point” model can be inexpensive, effective and convenient, it hits a snag when major disasters strike and the local airport does not have additional crews or aircraft to cover the required changes. This effect became a spiral of more than 60% of Southwest flights canceled and thousands of Americans stranded.
Passengers queue at the ticket counter for Southwest Airlines flights at Eppley Airfield, Sunday, Oct. 10, 2021, in Omaha, Nebraska.
(AP Photo/David Zalubowski)
In addition, Southwest does not have offers that allow passengers to fly on competing airlines in the event of cancellations and compensation is only offered for rescheduled flights.
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“All the stress and anxiety and, you know, the constant checking of flight statuses and, you know, watching TV and crying and pouring your glass of wine, you know, I hope one day we can look back and laugh, said Reichstein to Fox 7 Austin.
As of Wednesday afternoon, Wendi told FOX 7 Austin that her fiancé has landed in Houston. Her wedding on Saturday will go ahead as planned.
Southwest Airlines did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.
