Woman misses mother’s funeral due to canceled Southwest flight

PORTLAND Ore. (KPTV/Gray News) – A lady caught in Oregon due to a canceled flight will probably be lacking her personal mother’s funeral.

It’s been days since an ice storm hit the Pacific Northwest, however vacationers are nonetheless coping with main complications and heartbreaks, together with Susan Johnson.

Johnson’s Southwest flight from Portland to Tulsa, Oklahoma for her mother’s funeral was canceled Wednesday.

Johnson’s flight was one of many many flights canceled throughout the nation. More than 2,300 Southwest flights nationwide had been canceled for Thursday alone.

Johnson mentioned her mom was her greatest good friend. Her mother’s well being took a flip simply weeks in the past when she was identified with liver most cancers the day after Thanksgiving.

Johnson mentioned her mom was initially given six months to reside; nevertheless, she died on Dec. 21.

“On the 21st, they told me I had 24 hours. That was at 8:30 in the morning. She passed at 8:42 that night so I didn’t get the full 24 hours to get there,” Johnson mentioned.

Johnson rapidly booked her flight to Oklahoma to be there for her mother’s funeral Thursday morning, however to make issues worse, her Southwest flight was canceled earlier than she even made it to the airport.

“The service is tomorrow at 11 and I’m not going to be there,” Johnson mentioned via tears. “I’m hurt, I’m mad because whatever’s going on with them, it’s wrong, you know. Whether it’s weather conditions, whatever condition is going on. It’s not fair, not only to me, but other passengers going through this.”

Southwest supplied her a refund which may take two weeks or extra to get to her. While she’s going to attempt to get to Tulsa quickly, she’s nonetheless devastated she gained’t give you the option to say a proper goodbye to her mom.

“It’s just still not the same. You know? Not being able to say bye to her physically and giving her a kiss on her forehead. But I know she’s at peace, I know that much,” she mentioned.

Southwest’s Chief Commercial Officer put out a video statement on their web site Wednesday apologizing and mentioned they’d do every little thing they will to make it up to their prospects. That consists of providing full refunds or journey reimbursements if somebody had to make different journey preparations.

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