Plainfield Army Sergeant Stranded By Southwest Cancellation

PLAINFIELD, IL — A Plainfield Army sergeant says Southwest Airlines canceled her flight without notice Tuesday, causing her to miss her report time and leaving her stranded at Chicago's Midway Airport until for nearly two days.

"I fly with Southwest monthly and have always had great experiences," said Bryana Andersen in an email to Patch. "Yesterday [that] was not the case."

Andersen said the next guaranteed flight leaves Thursday, leaving her with the unpleasant job of explaining to her commanding officer just why she isn't reporting for duty on time.

Andersen say she was told Southwest Flight 1142 was canceled due to icy conditions at the airport, but she called the expatiation "unjustified," saying Delta flights to her destination, Salt Lake City, departed on schedule. Other Southwest flights even left Midway around the time of Andersen's scheduled departure with only brief delays, according to flightstats.com.

"Being a Soldier, it is very difficult to overcome issues in dealing with explanations for missing your report time," Andersen said. "These kinds of things are detrimental in our career, as very serious action is taken when you do not report. Although I managed to provide [an] explanation to command, it is causing more trouble which now includes out of pocket fees."

Andersen said she is not being reimbursed for transportation and hotel costs, and has had to take leave for the days she is missing. In her email, she pointed out a slogan Southwest uses on its blog: "Our brand colors may be red, yellow, and blue, but our support is for the red, white, and blue." The airline goes on to say that it couldn't fulfill its purpose without the sacrifices and dedication of men and women in uniform.

"I appreciate the intent of those words, but stand by them and practice what you preach," Andersen said. "It's unnerving that there wasn't notification, email, call or text. Southwest just leaves Soldiers stranded without any assistance or compassion."

Despite other flights leaving on time, a spokesperson for Southwest confirmed to Andersen in an email Wednesday that the flight was cancelled due to severe icing on the runway in Chicago.

"Though, yes, it is true that the aircraft may have been departing out of Chicago, allow me to explain that we have to operate at a reduced level as Air Traffic Control begins limiting the amount of aircraft that are able to arrive/depart within a given hour," the email reads. "As such, we were forced to make the tough decision on canceling a large number of flights, but please know that this was done for the sake of your own safety."

The airline said it regrets that it did not communicate with Andersen about the cancellation and that it was unable to accommodate her until days later. "However, in this situation, we do not provide reimbursement for interim expenses. Please know, though, that your concerns have been taken to Heart."

After the publication of this story, Southwest told Patch in an email that its customer relations team would be reaching out to Andersen again to further discuss the situation. We'll keep you updated if her situation changes.

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