NORFOLK, Va. (WAVY) — Southwest travelers hoped for the best at Norfolk International Airport Wednesday after issues canceled and severely delayed flights nationwide.
A majority of the flights that were canceled Wednesday were Southwest flights coming into Norfolk.
One traveler, Ayana Sallee, said she came to the airport to get answers about her trip to Los Angeles. When she spoke to 10 On Your Side, she was feeling a lot better thanks to the staff at the Southwest counter.
“When I came down here, the lady at the front desk was extremely nice so I’m actually feeling pretty calm now,” she said.
It all started when she got a text saying her connecting flight from Chicago to Los Angeles was canceled. She tried calling a number she found on Southwest’s website.
“It keeps going to a dial tone. I could never get on hold. I never got in contact with anyone,” she said. “It never rang. As soon as I picked up the line it would just say ‘doot doot doot’ and it did that about 3 separate times.”
After trying multiple times, she finally got someone on the phone, but she says something didn’t seem right.
“They said your flight’s canceled,” she said. “And I was like, ‘Okay, could I get a refund?’ And he’s like, ‘Yes, you can get a credit refund. And to do that, it’s a $30 processing fee.'”
Confused, Sallee said she called back and was told she wasn’t speaking to Southwest but to a company Southwest contracted to answer phones.
It wasn’t until she went to the counter at the Norfolk International Airport did she learn she was on the line with a scammer.
“If they can, go to the airport themselves. I would not trust a phone line right now cause like I said, the email – the phone number came from the website, I tapped on my phone and it started the call for me. So, probably the best thing you can do is go in person,” said Sallee.
Sallee is grateful for the help she received from the Southwest staff at Norfolk International Airport but has some advice for the airline itself.
“For an airline that’s been open for so long, they should have a better way of handling this issue and a better way of communicating,” said Sallee. “If I can’t get through to the airline because the lines are busy, I feel like you should contact the news because people are going to check the news. […] Issue a statement. Do something saying this is our right phone number, this is not our phone number, this is what’s happening, this is what’s going on.”
Not all travelers were unlucky though. For Janet Wheatley and her husband traveling back to Florida, their first flight to Baltimore was on time. She said she feels bad seeing fellow travelers who weren’t so lucky.
“I feel for all the people that did get stranded. It’s bad that they didn’t get to spend time with their families at Christmas,” said Wheatley.
Travelers we spoke to said everyone should be vigilant and constantly check their flight status.
“Check on your flight, make sure it’s on time,” said Wheatley.
Also, they say if you have questions, come to the airport if you can.
“If they can, go to the airport themselves. I would not trust a phone line right now,” said Sallee. “So, probably the best thing you can do is go in person.”
