>>> If you're flying southwest
airlines this week, you may want
to get comfortable.
You could be waiting a while.
Even with the weather clearing
in much of the country, nearly
2/3 of all southwest flights
were canceled today.
And look at this that we're
about to show you.
On the far right side of this
chart 99% of tomorrow's flight
cancellations, tomorrow, belong
to just one airline, and that
would be southwest.
This evening the company's CEO
offered an apology and an
attempt to explain in this
recorded message.
>> Our network is highly
complex, and the operation of
the airline counts on all the
pieces, especially aircraft and
crews, remaining in motion to
where they're planned to go.
With our large fleet of
airplanes and flight crews out
of position in dozens of
locations and after days of
trying to operate as much of our
full schedule across the busy
holiday weekend we reached a
decision point to significantly
reduce our flying to catch up.
We're focused on safely getting
all of the pieces back into
position to end this rolling
struggle.
>> CNN's Lucy kafanov is with
some of the people still stuck
in this mess.
>> Unfortunately, our next
available seats for rebooking
are on the 31st and beyond.
>> Reporter: It's another day of
travel chaos.
>> Every flight is canceled.
So I don't know when I go back
home.
>> Reporter: Another day of
flight cancellations, delays and
frayed nerves.
>> Phone calls were busy.
You couldn't get a hold of
anybody.
It's awful.
>> Reporter: Exhausted
passengers braving long lines,
only to receive more bad news.
>> Because they said even if you
go through this line it might be
up to new year to get a flight.
>> Reporter: Travelers on
southwest bearing the brunt of
the post-christmas
cancellations.
Many stranded until the new
year.
>> The next flight that was
offered was in January.
And they couldn't even get us
home back to Pittsburgh.
>> Reporter: Southwest's CEO Bob
Jordan warned of more tough days
ahead, according to a transcript
of a company-wide message CNN
has obtained.
While chief operating officer
Andrew Waterson said the
airline's systems were unable to
match available crews to
available aircraft and it had to
be done by hand.
>> From what I can tell
southwest is unable to locate
even where their own crews are,
let alone their own passengers,
let alone baggage.
Their system really has
completely melted down.
And I made clear that our
department will be holding them
accountable for their
responsibilities to customers
both to get them through this
situation and to make sure that
this can't happen again.
>> This is a deep failure of
management, not to have
supported its I.T.
Infrastructure.
>> So I don't know where my
luggage at.
>> Reporter: The travel chaos
leaving mountains of lost
luggage.
In Las Vegas a sea of unclaimed
bags.
Some passengers told it would be
days before they can get their
luggage.
Denver's airport leading the
nation in terms of delays and
cancellations.
Passenger Nick favaza has been
stuck here since December 21st.
>> I will never fly southwest
airlines again.
And I will tell anyone I know
never to fly southwest airlines
again.
>> Reporter: Why is that?
What do you want to do
different?
I mean, you just can't leave
people stranded for eight days
and just say it's the weather
when it's not the weather.
>> Reporter: And what a
difference a day makes, Alisyn.
Yesterday the line for southwest
was snaking around the corner.
Very few people behind me right
now.
But it does not mean that
southwest's problems are over.
You heard that apology video
from the CEO, Bob Jordan.
He used a lot of words to
basically say the airline's
going to be flying at a reduced
schedule for the next few days.
He hopes to get back on track
before next week, but a lot of
people aren't here frankly
because they've given up and a
lot of the luggage has yet to be
reunited with customers.
This is unfortunately going to
be a vacation to remember for
all the wrong reasons.
Alisyn?
>> You're so right, Lucy.
That's the story of our next
guest.
We want to bring in now Monica
buenavidez.
She's a southwest passenger who
got caught in a delay and
cancellation drama during
Christmas trying to get home to
Texas from Las Vegas.
Monica, thank you so much for
being here.
As I understand it,you spent 11
hours on Christmas day in the
Vegas airport trying to get
home.
What was that experience like?
>> It was just really hard.
My father passed away on
Christmas.
It was a very hard day to be
traveling.
And so I just wanted to be with
family.
And to just experience delay
after delay, it was just really
heartbreaking.
So many other people had it
worse than I did.
There was people that were
elderly with wheelchairs and
parents with small children.
Overall we were just trying to
help one another and make the
most of it.
But it was just really an
unacceptable situation.
>> We're really sorry to hear
about your father, first of all.
That sounds awful.
You did send us video of the
things that you were seeing.
All of the people who were
stranded including, as you said,
elderly people.
And it was just -- people were
just like languishing there in
the waiting room.
What was southwest telling you?
>> We all got in line very
excited.
And then eventually we were just
told it would be five to ten
minutes.
And that five to ten minutes
became half an hour, became
several hours, and we were just
being told that we needed one
more crew member and then when
that one crew member got there
the gate agent, who was very
kind and was trying to help, you
know, just said that she had to
call and wait on the phone just
like everyone else did to try to
get us off the ground.
So it was really hard for the
southwest employees.
And my heart goes out to them as
well as the passengers because
it was just an awful situation.
>> It looks like it.
I mean, that video that you sent
us, it's just a sea of people.
Nobody going anywhere.
It's just people as far as the
eye can see.
So ultimately your story is that
it took you 26 hours to get from
Vegas to Corpus Christi, back
home.
And I know you want to be
compensated somehow by southwest
for the hotel that you had to
rent, the different
transportation that you had to
take to and from the airport,
the food you had to buy.
How much -- what is the price
tag of everything that you
endured during this ordeal?
>> I mean, luckily for me I
think it's going to be right
around maybe 300 to $500.
But I have family members that
are spending upwards of over
$1,000 to get home from various
destinations.
And so the stories will vary.
But overall it's just a very
unacceptable situation, that
southwest keeps using the
weather as a scapegoat for their
outdated scheduling software
when no other major U.S. Airline
has had the level of disruption
that they've had.
>> Well, if southwest can get
away with paying you just $500
for what you endured, that's a