NBC 5's Noelle Walker was among the throngs of Southwest Airlines passengers who had a ticket to travel over the holidays on a flight that was canceled.
Like Walker, many, when faced with rebooking options that were days or nearly a week out, opted to buy a ticket on another airline in an attempt to get where they needed to go. Some of those passengers were on Walker's flight to Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport on Thursday.
"We may have met at Love Field if we had flown in on our original flight, but here we are at DFW," Walker's fellow passenger James Jaggers said smiling. "You know, I feel for the people who weren't able to, or who are driving 18-plus hours just to get home...doesn't sound like fun."
Booking last minute on another airline comes at a price. Walker saw one-way coach tickets from San Diego to DFW that ranged from $400 to $5,000.
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"If it wasn't incredibly essential for me to be here then I wouldn't have done it, but I had to," Amber Simpson said.
Simpson was on her way to see her father in the hospital. She said she paid in the thousands of dollars for her last-minute ticket on another airline after her Southwest flight was canceled.
"My flight for American was like $660-something and I saw the price go up as I was waiting to book it," Lexi Allman said.
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Allman's original Southwest Airlines flight from Indiana was canceled.
"I'm in other people's hands. It may not always work out!"
