A passenger has filed a lawsuit against Southwest Airlines, alleging that the airline neglected to reimburse passengers who were left stranded after the carrier canceled more than 15,000 flights last month.
Eric Capdeville filed a proposed class action in a New Orleans federal court on December 30 after a fierce winter storm disrupted Southwest’s schedule shortly before Christmas.
Despite the commitment to cover expenses, Capdeville claimed that Southwest gave him and his daughter credit after they canceled their flight from New Orleans to Portland, Oregon, on December 27, with no way to book an alternative flight.
The complaint asserted that affected passengers “cannot use their airline tickets through no fault of their own, and they are not getting the benefit of their bargain with the defendant.”
In his lawsuit, Capdeville seeks compensation for the Southwest flight passengers whose flights were canceled since December 24 and who did not receive refunds or reimbursements for expenses incurred.
Southwest said in a statement on Tuesday that “several high-priority efforts underway to do right by our customers, including processing refunds from canceled flights and reimbursing customers for expenses incurred as a result of the irregular operations.”
Those affected can expect reimbursement, but Southwest claims it could take several weeks.
