Southwest meltdown changes some Utes fans’ Rose Bowl travel plans

The Southwest Airways flight crisis continues to leave numerous Utahns stranded and not able to get to their places. A good deal of Utah admirers setting up to travel to California for the Rose Bowl aren’t positive if their flights will make it.

Passengers proceed to get messages about delays and cancellations. Many flights heading to Los Angeles or Burbank from Salt Lake Metropolis were canceled Wednesday.

The airline’s CEO mentioned the business was doing work to return to usual before next 7 days. But with kickoff scheduled for 3 p.m. on Monday in Pasadena, a lot of Utah football followers never want to likelihood it.

Lifelong Utes fan Matthew Berrett’s flights to and from Los Angeles weren’t canceled, but his family decided to forego the flights and push. He reported relying on the Southwest flight to depart wasn’t a possibility they ended up eager to just take.

“We canceled the flights preemptively,” Berrett explained. “We never want to wake up New Year’s Eve, go to the airport — which is presently mad — wait in line and then all of a sudden them say, ‘Oh sorry, it’s canceled,’ and then it is 8 o’clock on New Year’s Eve, now we have to generate to LA late.”

Berrett and his wife procured the Southwest plane tickets months back.

“The PAC-12 championship took place on Friday and that Sunday we purchased them to LA,” he mentioned.

Berrett drove to the sport past year and got trapped in a snowstorm on the way. He and his spouse and father determined they’d alternatively fly this time.

“We have been supposed to fly from Salt Lake to Denver and then Denver to LAX,” he reported. “Five-hour flight time there and again both of those instances, but hey, it beats a 14-hour vehicle experience, was our preliminary believed.”

Anger about the tidal wave of cancellations of Southwest Airways flights continued to mount Thursday. Senior officers demanded action as the firm issued even more apologies for the crisis which is now in its eighth working day of stranding or delaying hundreds of countless numbers of travellers.

They heard about the Southwest Airlines meltdown on Monday and kept an eye on the condition.

“I texted my dad just declaring, ‘Hey it is not hunting excellent,’” Berrett mentioned. “My dad even texted me and stated, ‘The CEO just made a online video.’”

They observed the cancellations and piles of luggage buildup, but their Southwest flights ended up nevertheless scheduled to depart.

“It nonetheless said they were being on time, I was nevertheless acquiring e-mails from Southwest declaring, ‘Get all set for your flight to LA! It’s going to be super magnificent!’ and deep down within we were being all like, ‘It’s in all probability not likely to take place,’” Berrett reported.

They created the choice Wednesday early morning to drive instead.

“We received some refund and a credit, which, who is aware if we’re heading to use it,” he mentioned.

They said the road journey will be worth it.

“You’ve received to see them get, you’ve obtained to,” Berrett claimed. “And if they do, and I hope they do, it’ll be a single for the heritage textbooks.”