TEMPLE, Texas — Five days into the chaos at airports around the country and a federal investigation is underway in Dallas, with thousands of people still stranded.
The investigation will look into whether the Dallas-based Southwest Airlines violated a customer service plan they have in place that is legally required.
Thousands of cancellations continued Wednesday following thousands from this past week. Thursday flights coming into Austin have already been canceled too.
Chris Berger, Caroline Wharry and Jack Wharry had all planned to fly into Austin to visit Temple, Texas. Tuesday Morning, they received messages from the airline that said their flights were cancelled.
"I ended up booking with a different airline," Berger said.
Berger tried to rebook with Southwest, but the closest available tickets would have been for Jan. 1.
He decided to instead take an earlier date, so he could fly in on Friday, but now he has to fly into Dallas while he waits for his refund from Southwest.
Caroline and Jack Wharry are in the same situation. Their flights were cancelled with no explanation, and when looking to rebook, the soonest they could get to Temple would have been Jan. 1.
"As we were trying to find a flight on another airline, we were just watching the tickets go away quick, so we knew we needed to book soon," Jack said.
Jack and Caroline are still waiting on their refund from Southwest.
They're glad they can get to Temple, but Jack is still worried about his departing flight on Jan. 4, which is with Southwest.
"All of this was just frustrating at first," he said.
Many people stuck at Dallas Love Field, Houston Hobby and so many other airports across the nation are frustrated too.
The earliest they've been told they can rebook is Dec. 31.
The CEO for Southwest, Robert Jordan, issued an apology still blaming the cold weather and winter storm for this meltdown.
"We're doing everything we can to return to a normal operation," Jordan said.
Carson Pearson, a professor of Aviation Science at Texas A&M University Central Texas, said this ordeal was a domino effect.
"If it was just the weather, then why aren't all the other airlines cancelling the same number of flights?" Peason said.
He added that the national pilot shortage could also play a large role in what has happened in the past few days.
Pete Buttigieg, the U.S. secretary of transportation made comments on the circumstances as they further the investigation.
"This is an unacceptable situation," Buttigieg said.
Right now, this is a nightmare for passengers and pilots alike, but soon the numbers are going to come out, and the result of this crisis is going to prove costly for Southwest Airlines.
"Last year they (Southwest) had to cancel 24-million flights and that cost them $75-million," Dr. Robert Tennant at Texas A&M University of Central Texas said.
If you are waiting for your flight or have experienced cancelations or delays, click here to see what steps you can take to stay calm and what your next steps can be.