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FAA, Southwest pilots cite other reasons for flight cancelations

The airline has now canceled nearly 2,000 flights nationwide, according to flight tracker FlightAware.

TAMPA, Fla. — Travelers are scrambling after Southwest Airlines delayed and canceled flights, across the country, including at Tampa International Airport.

SWA cites air traffic problems and disruptive weather but the Federal Aviation Administration and the company's pilots association are adding more to the story.

The FAA reported no traffic shortages since Friday, according to a tweet. The agency added severe weather, military training and staffing shortages in Jacksonville are to blame. 

In response to walkouts over company vaccine mandates, Southwest Airlines wrote in part:

"...we can say with confidence that our Pilots are not participating in any official or unofficial job actions. Our Pilots will continue to overcome SWA management’s poor planning, as well as any external operational challenges..." 

As of Sunday night, 95 cancelations from Southwest Airlines, both departing from and arriving at Tampa International Airport, have been impacted this weekend, according to flight tracker FlightAware. 

The airline canceled 1,913 of its scheduled flights nationwide as of 9:30 p.m. ET Sunday. The cancelations mark the highest rate by far of the major U.S. airlines. 

Passengers like Edith Yarbrough had their flight canceled Sunday in Tampa. Yarbrough said she's left to pay for additional expenses on her own, competing with other canceled passengers for a shrinking number of hotel rooms and rental cars. 

"I'm very frustrated," Yarbrough said. "The question is, why are they not doing anything to help us?" 

Southwest Airlines is working individually with affected employees, according to a statement. 

Yarbrough and stranded passenger Schatzi Acevedo are traveling with their mothers. They said both may have to miss important medical appointments.

"My mother has a doctor's appointment on Wednesday," Acevedo said. "Let's see what happens.

Southwest Airlines' full statement reads:

"ATC issues and disruptive weather have resulted in a high volume of cancellations throughout the weekend while we work to recover our operation. We appreciate your patience as we accommodate affected Customers, and Customer Service wait times are longer than usual. If your travel was affected, please explore self-service rebooking options by checking your flight status on www.southwest.com."

Next in line are Allegiant and Spirit, both of which had canceled 5% and 4% of its flights respectively, according to the flight tracker. American Airlines canceled 2% of its flights.

In a tweet, Tampa International Airport said this weekend's flight delays stem from a Federal Aviation Administration (FAA)-imposed air traffic management program in response to bad weather to the north. 

On Friday, a user replied to the airport's Twitter saying they hadn't seen any bad weather, and Tampa International Airport replied, "bad weather from earlier today caused somewhat of a trickle-down effect."

This issue is not just affecting Tampa International, but all Florida airports are feeling the impact from the FAA, TPA says.

Across the Tampa International Airport website, a banner is present letting travelers know that TPA is still seeing a high number of delays, cancelations and scheduling issues due to a recent weather event in north Florida. 

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