There are a lot of reasons so many of us choose Southwest Airlines time and again when we fly to Disney World (or anywhere else).
Southwest Airlines at the Orlando Airport
It’s about the only airline left that doesn’t charge for checked bags (up to two). The airline also often offers some great discounts. We also love that the airline has an amazing cancellation policy. But lately, well, let’s just say Southwest Airlines seems to be struggling.
Southwest recently revealed new seats that will be on their planes as of 2025. And let’s just say, the Internet had a FIELD day with its feedback on those new seats, saying they looked uncomfortable and had little legroom and back support. There were also a lot of jokes made at Southwest’s expense.
©Southwest
Well, Southwest has recently responded to the Internet’s outrage. According to ABC News, a Southwest representative pointed out that the original seat images were “2D renderings to show the cosmetic look of the seats and were not scalable for illustrating seat comfort.” Additional 3D images were reportedly released that showed more padding.
The airline also got a little salty, and said, “But rest assured, we have our customers’ back — even when they give us flak.”
Southwest airplane
But that’s not all. On March 9th, thunderstorms in the Southeast U.S. completely disrupted many Southwest flights, resulting in over 200 delays at the Orlando International Airport alone — at the beginning of the HUGE Spring Break travel season. At one point, over HALF of Southwest flights were delayed going into and out of Orlando.
©FlightAware
That seems to have continued throughout the busy weekend. As of March 10th, Southwest has almost 200 delayed flights with 56 percent of its flights into and out of Orlando International Airport delayed. Also, 34 Southwest flights have been canceled at the Orlando International Airport. Although other airlines also have SOME delayed flights, Southwest seems to be struggling the most.
©FlightAware
It gets worse, though. Because Southwest is struggling all over the U.S. The airline currently has over 1,000 delays at every airport it flies to. OUCH.
©FlightAware
So we have to ask: are you okay, Southwest Airlines? We certainly don’t want a repeat of the multiple cancellations that happened to Southwest flights during the 2022 holiday season that went on for DAYS. But seeing these delays continue for several days does make us worry.
Stay tuned to DFB for more.
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Am I the only one who noticed that Southwest has way more flights going into Orlando than any other airline? Or just flying in general? Of course, their percentage is going to be higher.