Is Delta Guilty of Price Gouging Your Flight? Some Believe They Are

During the busiest travel week of the year, Southwest Airlines had to cancel 70% of their flights because the winter weather system that swept through the United States left their flight crews reeling.

Southwest works on a point-to-point flight system, which normally allows them to operate more flights during a 24-hour period than other airlines. But the minute an airport shuts down and their flights can’t make a destination, that flight has to be canceled along with the return flight, and so on.

This cancellation issue snowballs, causing their massive set of cancellations during the Christmas holiday.

As if this issue wasn’t bad enough, Delta Airlines and others began increasing prices exponentially compared to previous weeks. The disparity was enough to have questions about price gouging started to circulate.

Twitter users had a thing or two to say about Delta Airlines’ management policies over the Christmas 2022 holiday that saw a family of three miss out on a flight and the compensation package a Delta gate agent initially offered.

User @Sunshinyreplies hoped Disney would refund their tickets when flights to Orlando topped $1,000 over the holiday.

While #SouthwestAirlines tries to climb out of this disastrous computer failure, @Delta Airlines charges outrageous prices for those who are desperate and stranded! @Disney, it sure would be nice to get refunds for tickets to your park, since we can’t make it. 😭 pic.twitter.com/1kMe84dvMM

— Jour de soleil (@SunshinyReplies) December 28, 2022

@HUNNUSSS lamented that Delta first delayed their flight and then cancelled it.

So @Delta y’all literally delayed our flight for four hours just to cancel it. And this is my second flight being cancelled getting to Chicago. This is no acceptable…. And i am not ok. pic.twitter.com/vuYzEer4U9

— JEREMIAH HUNNUS (@HUNNUSSS) December 24, 2022

@welcome_matt13 was positive Delta had it out for passengers trying to fly over Christmas.

Delta is definitely trying to intentionally inconvenience you

— Mattyv (@welcome_matt13) December 25, 2022

@j_ladrae definitely thought Delta could have handled this flight better.

Delta could have handled this better and just accommodated not cancelled.

— 𝔱ᕼⓔ 𝓓𝐞𝕧ⓘ𝐥 𝓶𝓎 Ỗᵖ卩 𓂀 (@j_ladrae) December 24, 2022

@BWI737 thinks the problem is a lack of pilots and flight attendants.

Perhaps if these companies had more pilots and flight attendants, they would have more crews to pick up the slack. Let Experienced Pilots Fly Act should be passed now. 15000 experienced pilots will be forced to retire in the next two years. If you think things are bad now , wait.

— JMD (@BWI737) December 25, 2022

While there were definitely those who sympathized with passengers who got stranded over the Christmas holiday and thought Delta could have done better; the majority figured weather played a huge part in cancellation decisions.

@SoyElTonito made light of Delta’s choice to cancel.

it’s almost like they have professionals who consider weather conditions and human lives when deciding if a plane should fly. Darn those jerks for wanting to keep humans safe!!

— TOVONY ☻ (@SoyElTonito) December 24, 2022

@EdMThomas can’t drum up sympathy for the lack of preparation.

Ngl, if you fly A) on christmas eve and B) during a polar vortex, i got no sympathy for you. Thats on you fam.

— Thomas🎭 (@edmthomas) December 25, 2022

@JacobAlexvnder thinks flying might’ve been worth a shot.

go ahead and get on a plane in unsafe weather conditions. you’re going to be complaining a lot more for very different reasons.

— 𝕮𝖀𝕭 (@JacobAlexvnder) December 25, 2022

Weather often plays a role in flight cancellations, especially over the winter months in the United States. Cold snaps, gusty winds, and winter-related precipitation all reduce an airline’s ability to get flights out.

That being said, could there be a case for an airline to hold a flight on delay knowing that they’ll eventually cancel it? Does a family that was offered compensation only to have that offer rescinded and missed their flight have any recourse?

Only time will tell if Delta will see any fines or restrictions from the Federal Aviation Agency (FAA) over their holiday prices and flight issues.

This article was produced and syndicated by Wealth of Geeks.