Just in time for the holidays, flight cancelations plagued the popular travel period. At the same time, bride-to-be Katie Demko found out her Southwest Airlines flight was canceled; it was supposed to take her to her wedding in Belize, off the northeastern coast of Central America.
A native of St. Louis, Demko prepared everything for her destination wedding. She was minutes away from embarking on her trek when it was announced her flight was one of many Southwest was canceling. What happened next was a flood of chaos, emotion, and a big financial hit.
A Southwest Airlines cancelation causes a bride to miss her own wedding in Belize
At the end of the year, on Tuesday, Demko found herself moments away from boarding her Southwest flight. That’s when it was announced that it was short three flight attendants and, as a result, the captain confirmed the plane would not take off. The party was left broken up, as Demko had her children with her but her fiancé had been able to fly in ahead of time.
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Demko remembers pleading, “Please let this not be true. This can’t be happening,” going on to call it “Total devastation. I was in shock and just went numb.”
That puts Demko in a group of over 2,500 canceled Southwest flights canceled, though that’s not been the only service facing this problem. But out of the 2,944 flights canceled as of December 27, 2,547 were Southwest. Meanwhile, Demko tried jumping into action.
Instead of gaining a spouse, the couple lost thousands
“I had about seven travel agents, and my whole family sat for 18 hours searching for a way to get us there,” Demko shared. “We even looked at flying to Cancún and getting a bus to drive us to Belize. There was nothing.” That’s, in part, because as meaningful as the wedding by itself was, it was not the only thing at stake. “We were not refunded for the resort,” Demko revealed, “and the total cost collectively between my family/friends and us is anywhere between $60,000 to $70,000.”
That’s because Victoria House, the resort in question, does not refund cancelations made 30 days or less before the reserved date. This venue was ideal because of its “sentimental significance.” But while they got a refund from Southwest and Demko successful adjusted services like decor and photography, “We are trying to see if we can even afford to go back to Belize to get married.”
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