Southwest Airlines chaos drags on at LAX and around the country.
The turmoil at Southwest Airlines in Los Angeles and elsewhere around the country continued on Thursday, with the company canceling thousands of more flights as it scrambles to restore its operations and help displaced passengers get home.
Southwest canceled 2,362 flights on Thursday, about 60% of its services, according to the flight tracker FlightAware. The airline has been beset by problems since last week, when a punishing winter storm pummeled much of the country, upsetting travel plans and causing widespread flight disruptions.
Though much of the industry has nearly recovered — down to only about 4% of flights canceled — Southwest has remained sidelined, running only about a third of its services until it can function at full speed again.
The Dallas-based company is the country’s largest low-cost carrier, with routes to various airports in California including Los Angeles, Oakland, Burbank, Sacramento, San Diego and San Jose.
Southwest’s weeklong meltdown has affected thousands of fliers, leaving them stranded at dozens of airports around the country without their luggage or else digging into their pockets to find alternative travel options, prompting a surge in demand for rental cars.
