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With thousands of cancelled and delayed flights, this has caused many folks to find alternative ways to get where they need to go, such as renting cars.
NORTH CHARLESTON, S.C. (WCSC) - The travel saga of Southwest Airlines continues. With thousands of cancelled and delayed flights, this has caused many folks to find alternative ways to get where they need to go, such as rental cars or staying in hotels.
It’s two days after Christmas, and airports are lined with holiday travelers fighting to get on flights. Many people have resorted to getting rental cars and driving hours to their destination, or just spending the night in Charleston.
MORE: Southwest cancels more flights, draws federal investigation
Tony Eichelberter, a sales representative at Avis Budget Group, says they’ve seen a rise in reservations.
“And of course, you got snowed out areas and cancelled flights and delayed flights,” Eichelberter said. “We just want to make sure that everybody over the holiday season is still safe and be able to get where they need to be.”
Employees at Enterprise and National say they are not able to do walk-ups like usual – just reservations. However, if customers didn’t book in advance, they’re out of luck.
Lauren Luster from Hertz provided this statement on the demand:
The holiday season is always a busy one at Hertz. This year, we are working hard to serve thousands of customers whose travel plans have been disrupted by the severe weather, including those seeking one-way rentals due to flight cancellations.
As far as hotels, several of the closest to Charleston International say rooms are still available. An employee at Embassy Suites says they have seen more cancellations from people whose flights to Charleston got cancelled than bookings by those stranded here.
READ MORE: Another day of Southwest flight cancellations at CHS causing frustrations
Bob Jordan, the CEO of Southwest, says the airline is the largest flight carrier in the country and due to weather, flights at some of the biggest hubs all froze at the same time.
“Clearly, we need to double down on our already existing plans to upgrade systems for these extreme circumstances so that we never again face what’s happening right now,” Jordan said.
Some officers with the Aviation Authority say they expect things to die down the next few days and that hopefully the peak of the travel craziness is a thing of the past.
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