Social media users are coming to a bride’s defense after she missed her wedding in Belize because of Southwest Airlines’ winter 2022 meltdown. People are calling on the airline to cover all fees the couple incurred because of the company’s mishap.
Katie Demko and her fiancé, Michael, planned to get married in Belize on Dec. 30. But they ran into one slight problem: no bride.
They didn’t know at the time that Demko would be one of the thousands of passengers affected by Southwest’s outdated scheduling system.
Unfortunately, for Demko, there were no tears of joy. Instead, only tears of frustration and anger towards an airline she trusted as a frequent flier.
“I cried all morning on Dec. 30,” the bride-to-be told Insider, adding that she couldn’t find another flight in time for her big day.
Demko’s fiancé flew out a little earlier than her Dec. 27 departure date, so he could make it in time.
Finding Out Flight Is Delayed Hours Before Departure
Demko found out just before boarding that she and her children’s flight was canceled because there weren’t enough flight attendants for their journey.
“I had about seven travel agents, and my whole family sat for 18 hours searching for a way to get us there,” said Demko. “We even looked at flying to Cancún and getting a bus to drive us to Belize. There was nothing.”
While the airline has apologized for probably one of the biggest industry failures of recent history, people say the apologies don’t even fit the bill for the couple’s costs.
The airline has since apologized for probably one of the biggest airline failures in recent history. But some say the apologies nowhere fit the bill of the costs people incurred, including this couple.
While Demko can rebook for most of the costs, the rooms are a different story. In all, the couple and their guests are losing about $70K in rooms as the Victoria House doesn’t postpone reservations nor issue refunds.
Does Southwest Owe This Couple More?
Southwest has refunded Demko for her flights, but many believe the airline owes her more.
“Southwest must pay for their incompetence,” one Twitter user posted.
“If Katie Demko’s wedding in Belize ended up being canceled, I hope Southwest is willing to pay all expenses needed to move the entire thing to another date,” another Twitter user stated. “Lost deposits, re-bookings, attendee airfare. [sic] Absolutely everything … whatever it takes.”
And just when you thought things couldn’t get worse for the couple, they had to bring in the new year alone.
“On New Year’s Eve, I sat at my house and talked to Michael, who was sitting in Belize, and we said Happy New Year […] not ringing in 2023 as husband and wife as we had hoped to do,” Demko said to Insider.
Southwest reportedly canceled more than 15,500 flights since winter weather disrupted travel.
Affected passengers are urged to file a complaint with the U.S. Department of Transportation if they have any problems or are denied compensation for flights, meals, hotels, and more by clicking here.