Unclaimed luggage piles up at airports following Southwest cancellations

Airline staff search through unclaimed luggage at the William P. Hobby Airport on Wednesday in Houston.

Brandon Bell / Brandon Bell

A winter storm led Southwest Airlines to cancel thousands of flights over the holiday season at the last minute. And a good chunk of the hundreds of thousands of stranded or delayed passengers still have no idea where their luggage is.

Airlines were already bracing for a chaotic travel season expected to generate a turnout similar to what airports experienced before the pandemic. Dangerous winter storms across the country only exacerbated this, leading every major airline to cancel or delay flights as the weather raged on.

And one airline in particular — Southwest Airlines — took a significant hit. A blizzard caused the company to cancel 60% of its flights, effectively leaving hundreds of thousands of travelers stranded. But regardless, whether passengers were able to make it to their final destination or spent the holidays at home, it seems as if many people are still trying to find their luggage.