Traveling for New Years? Caught in the Southwest Saga? Expert Tips – NBC Connecticut

The Southwestern saga continues.

It’s been almost a week since bad weather hit the country, and most airlines are back to normal, but not Southwest.

Here’s how travel expert Scott Keyes, founder of Scott’s Cheap Flights, describes the operational chaos as the US Department of Transportation investigates:

“The best way to think about it is, I have a young daughter and occasionally her hair gets really tangled. Most of the time I can just brush it and, you know, it goes back to normal. Every once in a while there’s a knot that gets so spiky that I have no choice but to cut it off. It looks like what happened in the Southwest,” he said.

Keyes hopes the plane can be restored and back on track by the start of the new year.

Of course, that’s no comfort for those who are dealing with stress or have a flight soon.

If you’re still trying to get to your final destination on a Southwest flight, you may be aware that the company’s phone lines are jammed.

If you can’t get their website or app to work to re-register, he recommends giving this a try.

“If you try calling one of the international offices of a Southwest agent, you can still reach him. Look, most Southwest travelers are going to call Southwest’s main hotline, but Southwest actually has offices in Aruba, the Bahamas, Mexico, Costa Rica, the Dominican Republic. You can get agents to help you rebook. “You can contact them. They are the same as what US-based agents can do. It’s worth the effort,” he said.

If you have an upcoming flight on Southwest, Keyes says don’t count on the airline to send you an alert. Check your online flight details and work on a backup plan as soon as possible.

Whoever you’re flying with, try to avoid checking a bag right now, he advises. Airport staff are inundated.

Here’s a detailed interview with Keys.

NBC 5’s Diana Soka interviews travel expert Scott Keys about Southwest Airlines’ troubles.

NBC5’s Diana Soka contributed to this article.