'I was shocked': Bride to miss wedding due to Southwest flight cancellations

Thursday, December 29, 2022
Bride to miss wedding due to Southwest Airlines cancellations
Woman will have to cancel her wedding in Belize on Friday after her Southwest flight was canceled on Tuesday

ST. LOUIS, Mo. -- Southwest Airlines has canceled about 15,700 flights since winter weather started disrupting air travel a week ago.



The cancellations have thrown a wrench into the plans of travelers all over the country, including one woman who says she'll have to cancel her wedding in Belize on Friday.



She got some very disappointing news when she arrived at Saint Louis Lambert International Airport Tuesday morning.



RELATED: Poor planning, bad luck, systemic challenges | Why is Southwest really canceling flights?



"We went to the airport like we were, you know, that our flight was on time. We went, we were getting ready to board and as we were getting ready to board they came out, the captain came out, gave a speech and basically told us the flight was canceled," said Katie Demko.



Demko said she was in shock, as there are no other flights available to get her to her wedding destination in time, CNN reported.



RELATED: As Southwest flight cancellations continue, Buttigieg vows to hold airline accountable



"We tried to rebook and there was nothing. Southwest actually booked me on a flight for January 2. Um, my wedding is tomorrow December 30, so that was past the date of the wedding. There were no flights, there are no flights until January 1. We've looked at everything that we possibly could and there are no flights," she said.



Thousands more flights were canceled on Wednesday and Thursday. The majority of them were Southwest.



RELATED: Southwest Airlines expects normal operations Friday after more flight cancellations Thursday



The carrier's CEO apologized to passengers and employees in a video released Tuesday night, saying they're doing everything they can to return to normal operations.



Other U.S. carriers flying in the same weather conditions have since recovered from the storm disruptions.