Unclaimed luggage is piling up at airports across the US after Southwest and other airlines canceled flights due to the winter storm: PHOTOS

Baggage waits to be claimed at the Southwest Airlines baggage claim Tuesday, Dec. 27, 2022, at Salt Lake City International Airport, in Salt Lake City. — Salt Lake City International Airport.
AP Photo/Rick Bowmer

US airports were flooded with unclaimed luggage after Southwest and other airlines scrapped flights.
The airports included LA International, Denver, Chicago O'Hare, and Sacramento Airport.
Airlines canceled flights after a massive winter storm hit the country this festive period.

The intense winter storm sweeping across the US led Southwest and other airlines to cancel thousands of flights, impacting many passengers — and their suitcases.

Southwest Airlines. — Jonathan Weiss/Shutterstock

Southwest scrubbed nearly 2,700 flights on Tuesday, which accounted for 84% of all cancelations in the US that day, according to FlightAware. The chaos has left passengers' baggage mounting up at various airports.

Passengers wait in line to check in for their flights at Southwest Airlines service desk at LaGuardia Airport, Tuesday, Dec. 27, 2022, in New York. — LaGuardia Airport in New York.
AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura

Source: Insider

Luggage was left on Tuesday in a cornered-off section at Southwest's baggage claim at Salt Lake City International Airport.

Source: AP

Meanwhile, Southwest's baggage service office at LA International Airport was flooded with bags and suitcases after mass cancellations.

Southwest Airlines baggage service office staff assist stranded passengers with their luggage at the Southwest terminal at the Los Angeles International Airport, on Tuesday, Dec. 27, 2022. — Los Angeles International Airport.
AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes

Source: AP

The situation was similar at Denver International Airport, where passengers were trying to find their belongings in a mass of unclaimed luggage which accumulated in Southwest's baggage claim area.

Travelers wade through fields of unclaimed luggage by the baggage casrousels for Southwest Airlines in Denver International Airport, Tuesday, Dec. 27, 2022, in Denver. — Denver International Airport.
AP Photo/David Zalubowski

Source: AP

After Southwest canceled flights over the festive period, suitcases started to amass on Tuesday in the baggage claim area in Sacramento International Airport in California.

Suitcases had accumulated by Tuesday, Dec. 27, 2022, near the baggage claim area in the Sacramento International Airport, in Sacramento, Calif., after Southwest Airlines flight cancellations led luggage to arrive before passengers with holiday travel plans. — Sacramento International Airport.
AP Photo/Sophie Austin

Source: AP

Passengers at Chicago Midway International Airport searched for their luggage on Tuesday at Southwest's baggage claim after their flights were disrupted amid the storm.

Stranded travelers search for their luggage at the Southwest Airlines Baggage Claim at Midway Airport on December 27, 2022 in Chicago, Illinois. — Chicago Midway International Airport.
Jim Vondruska/Getty Images

Source: Getty

There were hundreds of passengers on Tuesday at Baltimore/Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport, waiting in line to resolve issues with Southwest about their luggage.

Hundreds of passengers wait in line to handle their baggage claim issues with Southwest Airlines at Baltimore/Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport in Baltimore, Maryland on December 27, 2022. — Baltimore/Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport.
Marvin Joseph/The Washington Post via Getty Images

Source: Getty

A sea of suitcases was also seen around the carousels at San Francisco International Airport after airlines canceled thousands of flights.

Hundreds of luggage are seen at San Francisco International Airport (SFO) due to airline cancellations, in San Francisco, California — San Francisco International Airport.
Anadolu Agency/Getty Images

Source: Getty

Piles of dropped luggage were left at United Airlines' Terminal One at Chicago O'Hare International Airport days before Christmas as the storm hit the country.

Dropped luggage sits at the United Airlines Terminal 1 ahead of the Christmas Holiday at O'Hare International Airport on December 22, 2022, in Chicago. — Chicago O'Hare International Airport.
KAMIL KRZACZYNSKI / AFP

Source: Getty

Southwest CEO Bob Jordan described Monday's operational meltdown as "a tough day." A spokesperson for Southwest told Insider the airline will "make every attempt to reconnect customers with their baggage at no cost."