Southwest passengers struggle to rebook flights at Austin airport after Christmas

Passengers at Austin-Bergstrom International Airport on Monday struggled to rebook canceled flights and find missing luggage after winter storms in other parts of the country and bitterly cold temperatures impacted air travel nationwide during the Christmas holiday weekend.

AUSTIN (KXAN) — Passengers at Austin-Bergstrom International Airport on Monday struggled to rebook canceled flights and find missing luggage after winter storms in other parts of the country and bitterly cold temperatures impacted air travel nationwide during the Christmas holiday weekend.

CNBC reported Saturday that as many as 12,000 flights were canceled by U.S. airlines from Wednesday through Saturday.

Viewers have been telling us about their air travel issues through Report It, particularly with Southwest Airlines.

"I finally made it to [AUS] at 1:30a, after rebooking three times, to find the same lines of hundreds and hundreds of passengers waiting for Southwest booking assistance. Children were asleep on the concrete floor in Christmas pajamas," one viewer wrote to KXAN in an email on Monday.

"Southwest Airlines Abandons Customers - Phone lines are dead and thousands are without their refund or luggage!" another viewer wrote.

KXAN's Mercedez Hernandez spoke with some flyers in the Southwest Airlines line at AUS, some of whom had been waiting two-and-a-half hours to rebook flights.

We reached out to Southwest Airlines to learn how many Austin flights were canceled. An airline spokesperson replied:

"While I don’t have figures from specific airports where we operate, we are still experiencing disruptions across our network as a result of Winter Storm Elliott’s lingering effects on the totality of our operation. With the weather now considerably more favorable, we continue work to stabilize and improve our operation."

Southwest Airlines continued on to say those with canceled flights can request a full refund or receive flight credit, which doesn't expire.

Additionally, information about lost baggage can be found online. The Southwest spokesperson said its customer service lines are currently "experiencing abnormally high call volumes."

KXAN also reached out to AUS about flight cancelations. The airport responded with the following statement:

"After several days of nationwide disruptions to the air travel system due to severe winter weather, AUS’s airline partners are working towards regaining normal operations. Travelers with canceled or delayed flights or missing luggage need to coordinate directly with their airline. We appreciate our travelers' patience as our airport partners work together to serve our customers during a challenging travel period for many."

This is a developing story. More details will be added as they become available.