TCU fans drive to Arizona for Fiesta Bowl after Southwest issues

DALLAS — The TCU Horned Frogs are prepared to make historical past this Saturday, dealing with off for the primary time within the College Football Playoff semifinal on the Fiesta Bowl in Phoenix, Arizona. 

But, due to Southwest Airlines’ vacation transportation and PR catastrophe, TCU fans are among the many tens of 1000’s of weary vacationers discovering it tough to get to the sport in individual.

“I am making this trip solo and all in one day,” mentioned Jamie Plunkett, a journalist with FrogsToday.com. “I gotta get there. I’m already 24 hours late.”

WFAA reached Plunkett by Zoom close to the top of his journey. He selected to begin at 4:30 a.m. Tuesday and drive the 1,000-plus miles from Dallas to Phoenix after his Southwest Airlines flights had been canceled and, like the vast majority of different Southwest passengers, was informed he would not give you the option to rebook till Dec. 30 on the earliest, the day earlier than the Fiesta Bowl.

“I wasn’t able to find any Southwest flights to Phoenix until Friday,” he mentioned. “I wasn’t going to wait that long because I have a job to do.”

And he isn’t alone. Frog fans on social media and numerous Frog forums admit they’re additionally deciding to both drive or contemplate taking Amtrak to Phoenix to get to the sport on time.

And, the frustration reaches to the very high of TCU soccer. Take Kate Dykes for instance.

“Everyone’s family, Sonny’s brother, now they’re driving to the game because all their flights are canceled. It’s just crazy,” she mentioned.

Crazy even for the spouse of TCU head soccer coach Sonny Dykes. 

They are already in Phoenix because the staff will get prepared to face Michigan on Saturday.  But, in a six levels of separation and distress type of factor, her brother is Joe Golding, the pinnacle males’s basketball coach at UTEP. 

On Sunday night time, stranded at Dallas Love Field, he observed three University of Pittsburgh soccer gamers in the identical predicament, unable to get to El Paso for their upcoming look within the Sun Bowl in opposition to UCLA this Friday. 

So, he rented a bigger car and drove his family and the Pitt gamers the 600-plus miles to far west Texas.

“And when they texted us to say they were driving and they had the players with them, I mean it’s an adventure,” Kate Dykes mentioned. “It’s like real life Planes, Trains, and Automobiles, you know.”

A transportation trouble that TCU fans all around the nation are navigating proper now. 

Plunkett, for instance, nonetheless does not know the place his baggage is. Southwest informed him it could be despatched to his last vacation spot of Sky Harbor in Phoenix though he by no means made a flight.

“Still haven’t met up with that luggage which is why I just stopped at the Tucson outlets to pick up some necessities and a couple pair of jeans and stuff,” he mentioned.

“I’ve flown Southwest my whole life, I’m from the Dallas-Fort Worth area. I’m really loyal to the brand,” Plunkett mentioned. “But, you know if flights keep getting canceled like this, if I keep having to drive 15-16 hours a day just to do my job, I think that’s going to cost them some business. It’s pretty frustrating.”

As for Kate Dykes, she mentioned household and pals are in the identical state of affairs and planning to make the lengthy drive to Phoenix as an alternative.

“Their flights were canceled so they said you know what, we’re not missing it, we’re gonna be in purple to cheer, so they just loaded up their cars today and they’re all driving. I know we’ll have some very excited TCU Horned Frogs by the time they get to the desert in Phoenix.”

Road-weary Horned Frogs maybe, hoping that the frustration on New Year’s Eve will belong solely to the Michigan Wolverines.