NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WKRN) – Southwest Airlines canceled over a thousand flights nationwide this weekendleaving some passengers stranded at BNA. Customers said that Southwest News 2 service staff told them to go to the airport for hotel vouchers. When they arrived they were told that Southwest doesn’t have any.
After reaching out to Southwest over the weekend about coupons, the airline explained the company’s policies to News 2 on Monday.
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A Southwest Customer Service representative told News 2. Occasionally, hotels give airport employees coupons for customers in need of accommodation, but hotel coupons are not a guarantee.
When asked if Southwest reimbursed hotel costs for customers whose flights were delayed overnight, they said they typically do not cover these costs.
Carly Wilson and Hope Lyon were two passengers who attempted a flight to Houston on Saturday. They told News 2 that the earliest flight Southwest offered them was on Wednesday. They finally got a rental car for the 12-hour drive on Sunday. The two said they had a boyfriend in Nashville whom they were fortunate to be able to stay with until they could pick up their car.
Wilson and Lyon said they received a refund for their airfare.
“Now we’ve spent the extra money on the rental car, we’re spending fuel, time and the like,” said Lyon. “I think they have a chance to grow in customer care in that regard, especially when it comes to reimbursing the additional travel expenses that come with it.”
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Southwest told News 2 that they do not normally reimburse travel expenses following a canceled or delayed flight.
When asked if there were any plans to change the hotel voucher or the travel expense policy, the representative said she was not sure.
Nashville International Airport allows customers to stay on the unsafe side of the terminal overnight, however terminals behind the TSA checkpoint are closed in the middle of the night for security reasons.
