TAMPA, Fla. — After thousands of delays and cancellations by Southwest Airlines, travelers are having to turn to alternative means of transportation to get where they need to go.
Dev McDowell was set to return home to Tampa after visiting family in Pittsburgh on Dec. 26, when she found out her flight was canceled.
"It was sudden, very sudden," she said.
With re-booking options not getting her back for a couple of days, McDowell said her grandfather came up with a different plan.
"My grandfather luckily has a van that's kind of like an RV. It has beds in the back, a kitchen and everything. So he offered to just drive me down instead because the rescheduling of flights was horrific. So that's what we did!"
Southwest Airlines insists the issue is entirely the result of the winter storm, and not because of employee shortages.
“There was there were no staffing challenges for Southwest Airlines whatsoever when it came down to this. It was just the sheer size of the storm as it grew moving from west to east," said spokesperson Jay Mcvay at a press conference in Houston.
For road-weary travelers like Dev Mcdowell, they’re just glad to be home.
"I didn't anticipate that happening, but ultimately I'm just glad my grandfather could drive me down last minute in his van like that."
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