Senators urge Southwest to give stranded flyers "significant monetary compensation"

Several Democratic senators are urging Southwest Airlines to compensate thousands of flyers whose flights were canceled during peak holiday travel, as the airline nixes the majority of flights on its schedule. 

Passengers across the country are stranded, and in some cases, told it will be days or more than a week before they can book another flight, as internal issues plague the airline. Democratic Sens. Edward J. Markey of Massachusetts and Richard Blumenthal of Connecticut said that while Southwest can't make things right for customers whose holidays "have been ruined," those passengers can be rebooked, reimbursed, and given "significant monetary compensation."

"Instead of a holiday spent celebrating with family and friends, passengers are sleeping in airports or desperately trying to reach customer service agents," Blumenthal and Markey said in a statement Tuesday. "For those travelers whose holidays have been ruined, there is no real way for Southwest to make this right. But the company can start by fairly compensating passengers whose flights were canceled, including not only rebooked tickets, ticket refunds, and hotel, meal, and transportation reimbursement, but significant monetary compensation for the disruption to their holiday plans."