Southwest Is Apologizing for Mass Cancelations, Offering Frequent Flyer Points

The offer comes after one of the largest mass flight cancelations in the United States.

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Between December 22 and December 30, Southwest Airlines canceled more than 15,000 flights, according to Flight Aware. It was a historic snafu from the airline, which could not recover from a significant winter storm that passed through the country just before Christmas. The cancelations and delays were so extreme that the Department of Transportation and President Joe Biden both released statements announcing there would be an investigation into the matter.

Now that the dust has settled, Southwest Airlines is on its redemption tour. The airline's CEO, Bob Jordan, has issued numerous apologies to customers in the last week. The most recent apology letter to affected customers included an offer for people booked on canceled or significantly delayed flights between December 24 and January 2, according to NPR.

Those affected customers reportedly received 25,000 frequent-flyer points, which translates into about $300 in flight credits. Southwest Airlines is still working to process refunds related to the mass cancelations, and it's unclear how long it will take to complete the process.

If you were one of the people affected, you don't just have to wait around for Southwest. You can contact the airline directly and use the DOT's web portal to learn more about your rights as a passenger.

And hey, $300 may not completely restore your faith in the airline or make up for the hours and hours you spent stranded in a crowded airport, but maybe you can use the flight credits to take a vacation to recover from your most recent Southwest flight.

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Opheli Garcia Lawler is a Staff Writer on the News team at Thrillist. Follow her on Twitter @opheligarcia and Instagram @opheligarcia.