A Marrero, La., man whose Dec. 27 Southwest Airlines flight was canceled during a massive air-travel disruption has filed a class-action complaint against the company, arguing he should have been offered either a refund or alternative flight.
Eric F. Capdeville filed the lawsuit Dec. 30 in the Eastern District of Louisiana. Southwest, the nation’s largest domestic airline, offered Capdeville credit for a future flight, and no alternative flight was available for the plaintiff’s planned trip from New Orleans to Oregon, according to the complaint.
The lawsuit alleges that Southwest’s failure to provide him with either an alternative flight or a refund violated the airline’s contract of carriage and federal law. Capdeville is seeking compensatory damages for himself and similarly situated people, as well as attorney fees and pre-judgment interest.
“Southwest’s response to the internally created crisis was to suggest customers could submit receipts for flight cancellations from Dec. 24, 2022, through Jan. 2, 2023, for consideration reimbursement,” the complaint states.
The cancellation of the flight Capdeville planned to take with his daughter was among thousands of flights canceled during the holiday period in the U.S. The crisis began with extreme weather issues, but Southwest’s failures also included an array of technical and staffing problems.
An airline spokesman told the Louisiana Record that a top company priority would be to compensate travelers affected by the cancellations.
“There are several high-priority efforts under way to do right by our customers, including processing refunds from canceled and significantly delayed flights, and reimbursing customers for expenses incurred as a result of the irregular operations,” Southwest spokesman Chris Perry said in an email.
The airline late last month launched an online portal to help travelers whose flights were delayed or canceled seek refunds and reimbursements, according to Perry. Those requests are now being processed and issued, he said.
“We have a long and proud 51-year history of delivering on our customers’ expectations, and we are committed to the all-important imperative of taking care of them during operational disruptions,” Perry said.
More than 14,500 Southwest flights were canceled between Dec. 23 and Dec. 28 of last year, the lawsuit says.