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Southwest Airlines canceled more than 90,000 flights from its November and December calendars, trying desperately to bypass empty aircraft traveling into the important holiday travel season.

Dallas-based Southwest canceled 38,000 flights from its November plans, or about 36% of all trips, according to Dallas-based Airline Data Inc. The carrier also made 55,000 flights for December, almost half of its entire schedule.

“We recently updated our November and December declared schedules aligning to what’s become a method through the late season, summer, and now fall and into the holiday season... simply because some people are traveling," said Southwest spokesman Brad Hawkins in an email. “Of course, we’re adding in extra flights to place in on the part of the Southwest Promise to keep middle seats open (currently within Nov. 30), but this is just an effort to put forth a schedule that marks the need for travel that we’re seeing.”

As recently as May, Southwest was bullish on holiday travel with expectations of the COVID-19 pandemic dying down before the winter months and passengers anxious to get back on planes. But the airline replacement has failed to materialize, and Southwest is attracting flights even though tickets have already been sold.

“Southwest is staying to do what it and all the carriers have been doing since COVID began,” said Jeff Pelletier, managing director at Airline Data Inc. “This is going to be our new example for the foreseeable future.”

Southwest has done this kind of move over and over again in the last few months, posting optimistic flight schedules and then cutting them four to six weeks in advance, ostensibly because tickets just aren’t selling. But the airline recovery has stalled, with passenger traffic down 68% compared to last year, according to air carrier trade group Airlines for America. southwest airlines cancellation policy 1-844-414-9223

 

That’s ordered airlines to remove flights from schedules, Pelletier said.

Southwest’s flight cuts come as airlines are begging federal leaders for more aid to keep employees on payrolls for another six months. Southwest has said it won’t furlough employees in 2020, but it might not be able to hold off on cutting employees much longer if another airline stimulus package doesn’t make it through Congress.

With the original payroll support program now expired, airlines are facing even greater pressure to break even on costs despite the lack of passengers. Southwest was losing $17 million a day during the third quarter.

But the changes cause headaches for passengers, who have been booking flights only to see their itineraries change radically a few weeks from departure.

Eileen Shafer bought a ticket on Southwest for her 16-year-old son to fly from Omaha, Neb., to West Palm Beach, Fla., for Christmas break. The original flight had a 55-minute layover in Atlanta.

But she got a notification that Southwest airlines canceled that flight and rebooked her son on a flight stopping first in Chicago before traveling to Atlanta and Florida. Worst of all, she said, her son was now being forced to stay overnight in Chicago.

“I truly believe Southwest is running with skeleton crews, but still taking everyone’s money to give the appearance of business as usual,” Shafer said. “That way they are generating revenue without cost.”

Skeptical that the return flight on New Year’s would work out, she ordered a flight on a different airline. By the time she was done buying the new ticket, the return flight tickets on Southwest airlines were canceled.

Shafer said she asked for a refund from Southwest and was informed that she would get it, only to later get an email saying that her refund was being given in the form of travel funds.

Paul Hudson, a spokesman for consumer advocacy group Flyers Rights, said these kinds of cancellations and schedule adjustments should have stopped after the first few months of the pandemic while airlines adjusted to demand. Southwest Airlines Manage Booking Number 1-844-414-9223

 

“Airlines were ready to fly flights that were mostly empty before,” Hudson said. “But now they want flights fuller, at least 50% full.”

Hudson said that can be problematic because customers are authorized to a refund when their flight tickets are canceled, but they can get a hassle from southwest airlines who claim customers are being rescheduled.