Report: Southwest Cancels 360 Monday Flights, Feeding a Rental Car Frenzy

Southwest Airlines Boeing 737 MAX aircraft are parked on the tarmac after being grounded,
MARK RALSTON/AFP via Getty Images

Southwest Airlines has reportedly cancelled 360 Monday flights, feeding an existing rental car frenzy that travelers must accept in order to reach destinations.

According to FlightAware, ten percent of Southwest’s fights have been canceled since 11 AM on Monday. In real numbers, 360 flight have been delayed. “That’s a fraction of the more than 1,100 flights, or 30% of scheduled flights, Southwest canceled Sunday but still more than any U.S. airline,” USA Today reported.

“I know this is incredibly difficult for all of you, and our customers are not happy,” Southwest Vice President Alan Kasher said Sunday.

Vincent Marino, who flew Southwest from Fort Lauderdale to Phoenix, reached his destination without a hitch. But his daughter and her 4-year-old son were two passengers stranded by the airline. In order for the little boy to meet his grandfather, his daughter reportedly had to rent a car to catch a Delta Air Lines flight to Phoenix from Los Angeles.

The rental car cost the daughter $380 per person plus rental car expenses, USA Today reported.

As the flight delays and supply chains breaks are causing many to scramble and find rental cars to reach destinations, the New York Post reported in June the “average daily cost to rent a car in the US jumped to a record $63.75… up 50 percent in some cases.”

The increase in rental car prices are primarily due to rental car companies not having a full fleet of vehicles to rent. The shortage of vehicles is because rental car companies sold much of their fleets off during the pandemic to stay afloat. But with vehicles back in high demand due to inventory and supply shortages, rental car companies are charging consumers high prices.

“Supply-chain woes driven partly by a microchip shortage have sent new car prices soaring, and car-rental companies — which typically buy their cars from manufacturers in bulk and at a discount — have been pushed to the back of the line amid spotty availability,” the Post reported.

The chip shortage has directly impacted the price of purchasing a family vehicle. According to the Labor Department during the summer, the vehicle shortage has increased the cost of cars and trucks by 29.7 percent in 2021.

Transportation is just one item that has increased in cost for consumers during Biden inflation. A Moody’s economist told the Post Friday the inflation is costing American workers and families an additional $175 a month.

“For households earning the U.S. median annual income of about $70,000, the current inflation rate has forced them to spend another $175 a month on food, fuel and housing,” Mark Zandi  said.

Follow Wendell Husebø on Twitter @WendellHusebø

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