Thousands of suitcases were seen piled up at various US airports on Monday as people tried to return home after Christmas weekend.
In Florida, suitcases were stranded at Tampa International Airport due to a winter storm that affected much of the country. Airlines have had to cancel numerous flights because of the weather, leaving travelers stuck in airports.
All airlines have had to cancel several flights over the weekend, but Southwest Airlines has canceled more than 3,000 flights since Christmas Day, and many of the bags stranded at Tampa International appear to belong to passengers on those flights.
Passenger Catherine Halek had her flight to Nashville canceled Sunday after her bags were loaded onto what was initially to be her plane.
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Bags piled up at the Tampa airport
(FOX 13)
“Someone came out and said if you fly to Nashville go home your bags are not going out tonight,” he told FOX 13.
Another passenger, Kit Lu, flew in to see her family three days ago, but her luggage is still in Southwest cancellations and connecting flights that never left or were stranded in Tampa.
“We have two girls and none of us have clothes,” Lu said.
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Bags seen filling airport
(FOX 13)
Baggage was also seen piling up throughout Chicago Midway International Airport Monday as hundreds of flights were canceled or delayed due to the winter storm.
More than half of Southwest’s flights at that airport were canceled Monday and travelers struggled to retrieve their bags. Travelers said they have not been given enough information to be able to locate their bags.
“At first they told us our bags would be down here, so we searched the entire area. My bag is somewhat distinctive and I can’t find it,” passenger Dori Velligan told WMAQ-TV.
Stranded luggage at the airport
(FOX 13)
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Southwest said they are rebooking as many customers as possible and people who have had flights canceled can request a refund or receive a credit.
“We are still experiencing significant outages to our network as a result of the lingering effects of Winter Storm Elliott across our entire operation,” Southwest said in a statement. “With the weather now considerably more favorable, we continue to work to stabilize and improve our operation.”
