A major blizzard set off a series of issues last year that forced the airline to cancel more than 16,000 flights, stranding passengers across the U.S. Southwest says this year will be different.

Passengers who looked for last-minute tickets encountered sky-high prices — in some cases, triple or quadruple the rate for the same route in the last few months. Experts say it's fairly normal.

Thousands of cancellations, lost bags and endless lines have angry customers taking to social media to voice their discontent.

Ahead of the New Year's weekend, the airline said that Friday will see minimal disruptions after its slashed schedule stranded hundreds of thousands of travelers during a wintry holiday stretch.

After Southwest Airlines canceled thousands of flights over the week, travelers are scrambling to reunite with their luggage.

The airline's CEO says the company is hoping to be "back on track before next week." But until then, it's continuing on a reduced schedule.

NPR's Leila Fadel speaks with aviation reporter Kyle Arnold of The Dallas Morning News about the impact from thousands of flight cancellations by Southwest Airlines.

Southwest isn't the only airline experiencing delays and cancellations, but it is by far the worst-hit, with about 5,500 of its flights canceled across the country in the last two days.

The disruptions add to chaos that has left people stranded at airports across the country, many of them with little idea of when they can get home or where their bags are.