‘Desperate’ family in West Texas drives 350 miles to Dallas after Southwest cancels

Kay Millerick was not missing her family reunion this week.

Both of her 88-year-old grandparents were flying in from London to Orlando, Fla., where her two brothers live. She booked her family on Southwest Airlines weeks ago. For the last few days, she had been checking the status of their flights from Lubbock to Dallas Love Field to Orlando.

“So, we’re having a big family reunion to celebrate what is probably going to be the last time they come to the United States,” Kay said. “We were desperate to be with my grandparents.”

Then the weather turned frigid right before Christmas, creating chaos with airline schedules, forcing Southwest Airlines to cancel more than 9,200 flights nationwide, leaving travelers stranded and scrambling to find alternative transportation.

Over the weekend the Millericks got nervous. The weather was not getting better. They watched breathless reports Monday about flight cancellations all over the country. On Tuesday, they checked their flight status for the umpteenth time.

“And we were told that the next available flight was on Jan. 2,” Kay said.

Crestfallen she talked to her husband, Sean, on what to do.

“We were determined to make the leg of our flight that was not canceled, which was the leg from Dallas to Orlando,” she said.

So, she packed up her two kids — Mara, 4 and Isla, 18 months — and with Sean, jumped in their car and drove to Dallas.

“(The kids) screamed for five hours,” Kay said with a wry smile. “But you know, it was important for us to come.”

She had checked with the airport in Lubbock.

“They had convinced me that they had canceled the majority of their flights,” she said.

They left Lubbock after midnight and parked at a long term lot early this morning. With a bag of pastries they picked up from a Dallas bakery, the Millericks headed for the ticketing counter.

Their flight was still on schedule. The two Texas Tech University employees and their children had made it. For now.

“We’ve never been delayed like this with kids,” she said. “And that has added an additional layer of difficulty.”

If their flight takes off, Kay may finally get her grandparents the homemade chili she made to help celebrate their coming to America.

“Because we’re from Lubbock, which is West Texas,” she said by way of an explanation.

‘Night and day’ difference

The concourse at Dallas Love Field Airport was practically placid Wednesday morning.

There was a group of 19 young people from Tennessee who were headed to Mexico via El Paso for a mission trip. Their flight was canceled for a few hours, but they were still good to go.

John Quincy Jones sat a few feet away watching. Jones works for ABM, a facilities contractor at the airport. He helps travelers get from the concourse to their gates, pushing them on wheelchairs.

“(This week) was the first time I’ve seen this place this bad,” said Jones, who has worked at the airport for the past eight years. “But we made it through all that. That’s the blessing part.”

Today he had time to sit and watch people stroll by. On Monday and Tuesday, it was a different story.

“It’s like night and day,” he said.

There were hundreds of “frustrated people” milling around, trying to figure what to do, he said.

This morning Jones actually helped a group of four who were practically ebullient.

“We’ve had nothing but good things to say about our trip,” Tasha Plant told the Star-Telegram. “Even Southwest.”

Plant and her companions had been exploring Dallas, flying in from Washington, D.C., six days ago.

“It takes all kinds,” Jones said with a chuckle.

As for the Millericks, they’re thankful they have a flight.

“We are the fortunate ones. We have the financial resources to drive, park and get on another flight,” Kay said.