Travelers “beyond frustrated” by Southwest Airlines cancellations:

The winter storm that disrupted travel plans over the weekend and created an epic pile-on of flight cancellations for Southwest Airlines left the carrier’s passengers “beyond frustrated,” as one put it to CBS DFW. Thousands of families were stranded, with some waiting days to board planes.

Now, two Democratic senators are calling on the carrier to make travelers whole with “significant monetary compensation for the disruption to their holiday plans.”

“Southwest is planning to issue a $428 million dividend next year – the company can afford to do right by the consumers it has harmed,” Senators Edward Markey of Massachusetts and Richard Blumenthal of Connecticut said Tuesday.

Southwest on Tuesday had canceled more than 2,600, or 64%, of its scheduled flights as of 5:50 p.m. Eastern time, according to flight-tracking website FlightAware. That accounted for more than half of the roughly 5,000 flights scrapped today. Other airlines also continued to experience disruptions, with Southwest leading the way with 870 delayed flights.

Talia Jones, a Southwest Air customer, told CBS DFW she was “beyond frustrated and hurt because I can’t see my dad. So yeah, it’s very disappointing.”

On Monday afternoon, the board at Dallas Love Field, Southwest’s main hub, showed every single arrival had been canceled, according to reporter Kelly Laco.

At Chicago’s Midway International Airport — where Southwest is the main carrier — the wait times were high, and patience was running low Monday night, CBS Chicago said.

The situation was described by one traveler as nothing short of a mess. In addition to long lines taking up space, hundreds and hundreds of bags were waiting to be claimed as the cancellations and delays kept piling up.

“It’s been hell,” said Denzil Smothers, whose flight was canceled. 

People also took to social media to blast Southwest, including one Twitter user who on Tuesday posted video of bags piled up in Chicago at Midway Airport. 

“We know irregular operations are frustrating for everyone involved, and we are truly sorry for any disappointment,” Southwest told one traveler on Twitter who was upset by the flurry of canceled flights.

The federal Department of Transportation on Monday said it would investigate the meltdown, saying it was “concerned by Southwest Airlines’ disproportionate and unacceptable rate of cancellations and delays as well as the failure to properly support customers experiencing a cancellation or…