Travelers Facing Exorbitant Flight Prices Amid Mass Cancellations

As flights across the country continue to get canceled, airfare data shows that prices from major airlines have ballooned despite the announcement of price caps, NBC News reports.

The mass flight cancellations, led by Southwest Airlines, have resulted in higher than usual costs during the holiday travel rush. American Airlines, United, and Delta have announced caps across the country but specifically in cities where Southwest operates. That hasn’t stopped certain fares from skyrocketing. Google flight information shows that prices for flights out of numerous airports—including Chicago Midway International, Nashville International, and more—have surged in the run-up to the new year.

A one-way journey out of Nashville on Dec. 29 to Denver with no connecting flights starts at $899, while a one-way trip from Washington, D.C. to Los Angeles on the same day could cost travelers as much as $1,527. One Twitter user noted that it would have cost them $7,719 for two economy seats from Chicago to D.C. on Tuesday.

Southwest Airlines has continued to cancel flights throughout the country, and cut another 2,350 flights on Thursday, per the Associated Press. The carrier has failed to recover from winter storm delays, which resulted in huge amounts of cancellations just before and after Christmas day. Earlier this week, the U.S. Department of Transportation announced it will investigate the high rate of cancellations from Southwest.

On Thursday, U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg cautioned Southwest’s CEO Bob Jordan that the airline will be held accountable. “Their system really has completely melted down,” Buttigieg told CNN. “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.”