After an ugly start to the week, the prospects for travelers flying out of Boston on Southwest Airlines have greatly improved heading into New Year's weekend.
Late Friday morning, the departures board at the Southwest check-in at Logan Airport's Terminal B was filled with flights departing on time, a stark contrast to the abundance of delays and cancellations a few days ago.
Jennifer Mehigan, a spokesperson for Massport, noted that Southwest had only canceled one flight at Logan as of about 12:30 p.m.
"Impacts from major storms and large banks of cancellations often take a few days to resolve," Mehigan said. "We are pleased to see Southwest's operation is getting back to normal."
Southwest's meltdown over the holidays caused about 13,000 cancellations nationwide, leading customers to lose luggage, sleep at airports and rebook on other airlines at sky-high prices. The airline's actions also prompted increased scrutiny from the U.S. Department of Transportation and leading U.S. Sens. Ed Markey (D-MA) and Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) to demand that Southwest compensate customers whose plans were derailed. In addition, the union representing Southwest's pilots has publicly accused the company of relying on outdated infrastructure for years.
But in Boston, at least, the airline's operations seem to be back on track for the moment.
"We were nervous, but it's been good so far," said Jennifer Galligan, who was preparing to fly to Nashville after visiting family in New Hampshire. It was her first attempt at a return trip.
Earlier in the week, Southwest's lack of communication with customers was a frequent source of complaint at Logan. But that seems to have improved as well. Galligan said she was notified by email yesterday that her flight was on track, and others reported similar experiences.
"We got a lot of texts from them the past few days, and so we knew everything was going to be good," said Liz Rogers of Mashpee, who was heading to Tampa.
Even so, Massport's Mehigan said, "we urge passengers to check with their airline for the best information about their flight before coming to the airport."
