TULSA, Okla. — The travel saga for thousands of travelers continues. They aren't just dealing with canceled flights.
Some are still waiting for their luggage, and for many, the chaos has turned costly.
Mel Miller spent days inside the Denver airport when flight after flight was canceled. Tonight, she's sleeping in her own bed and said getting home was possible thanks to the kindness and generosity of a complete stranger.
“I probably stood in line several different times rebooking to get canceled," Miller said.
Mel Miller was among the thousands of travelers stranded in cities by Southwest cancellations. Her flight out of Denver was canceled multiple times, forcing her to sleep at the airport four nights in a row.
“Exhausted. I had no sleep. As you can tell is not easy to get comfortable in an airport," Miller said.
On day four, when she thought she was finally going to catch a flight to Tulsa, it was canceled once again. When Miller thought she had lost all hope. A complete stranger stepped in.
“She offered me her seat to Oklahoma City on Christmas morning. She said she lived in Denver, and she was not stranded, and I needed to get out of the airport," Miller said.
A Christmas miracle. She landed in Oklahoma City, where her friend picked her up and drove her to Tulsa. She said she's happy to trade an airport floor for her own bed, but the cost of this chaos is quickly adding up. She said the trip she booked cost about 350 dollars, but between missing work, buying food at the airport for four days, and having to buy new clothes, she anticipates spending hundreds more.
“I would say it’s probably going to end up costing me about 1,000 dollars," Miller said.
Although her journey getting home has been turbulent, she's choosing to focus on the good that came out of it.
“My message to that stranger would be thank you. That was truly a Christmas miracle. That is something I would have done for somebody," Miller said.
Southwest's website says if you've had to take on extra expenses because of canceled flights, as Miller did, you can request reimbursement. Save those receipts and head over to southwest dot com to see if you can get that money back. As for Miller, she said she's waiting for the luggage but has no idea when it will arrive.
Trending Stories:
- Are airlines required to provide refunds, hotel rooms when flights are canceled?
- DOWNLOAD the 2 News Oklahoma app for alerts
- Flight fiasco impacts Tulsa travelers
- FOLLOW 2 News Oklahoma on Facebook
- Wisconsin beats Oklahoma State 24-17 in Guaranteed Rate Bowl
Stay in touch with us anytime, anywhere --
- Download our free app for Apple, Android and Kindle devices.
- Sign up for daily newsletters emailed to you
- Like us on Facebook
- Follow us on Instagram
- Follow us on Twitter
