United and American Airlines place price caps on some cities to help Southwest customers get home

By Jennifer Korn, CNN

(CNN) — Many Southwest customers have been desperately trying something — anything — that will get them back home. But some passengers have been horrified to find other airlines posting last-minute flights to their destinations that can cost thousands of dollars.

United and American Airlines say they have a solution: The airlines will place price caps on travel to and from select cities, the companies told CNN.

Although it didn’t specifically mention Southwest, American implied the price caps were designed to help the melted-down airline’s customers get home.

The price caps vary by location in areas affected by cancellations, an American Airlines spokesperson told CNN. Southwest did not respond to CNN’s request for comment.

American Airlines notified customers about the price caps in a series of tweets directed at people who posted screenshots of thousand-dollar flights.

One traveler posted a screenshot showing flights from San Diego to Orlando with American, Delta and United fares that cost more than $2,000. The passenger was looking to rebook a canceled Southwest flight.

“We’re doing our part to help get people where they need to be and we’re putting a cap on fares for select cities,” American tweeted.

Another tweeted at American Airlines asking for help with delayed flights and no rebooking options (adding in a #southwestdebacle hashtag).

“Kindly join us in DMs with the booking code, and we’ll be happy to check on available options,” American replied.

United Airlines also says it is capping fares on some routes served by Southwest Airlines.

The cap runs through Saturday and applies in many of the US and Latin American markets where Southwest also flies. United spokesman Josh Freed could not immediately specify a dollar amount for the cap.

“We continue to get people to their destinations as safely and quickly as possible this busy holiday season and our latest effort includes capping fares in select cities to make sure our flights are available to as many customers as possible,” Freed told CNN.

Cancellations pile up

The price caps could come as a welcome relief for stranded Southwest fliers across the country.

Southwest cancelled 2507 flights for Wednesday, by far the most of any airline, according to flight tracker website FlightAware. The airline canceled 2,694 on Tuesday and already has another 2,348 flights canceled for Thursday.