04 January 2023 , 15:33
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A bride-to-be missed her own wedding because her flight was cancelled at the last minute.
Katie Demko had been due to tie the know in Belize with her fiancé Michael at a grand destination wedding last Friday.
The St. Louis, Missouri woman was scheduled to fly out on Tuesday with her kids and arrived at the airport in plenty of time, Michael having flown ahead of them.
Just before Katie's Southwest flight was supposed to board the captain announced it had been cancelled, she told Insider.
Passengers were informed that the flight was short of three flight attendants, meaning it couldn't get off the ground, it was reported.
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The bad winter weather saw many people have their flights cancelled (Getty Images)Despite a frantic rush to find a back-up flight that would land in Belize ahead of the ceremony, Katie and her kids failed to get to the country
She was unable to find another flight for her and her children to make it to Belize in time for the wedding.
Katie said she spent 18 hours searching with the help of seven travel agents, and even considered getting a bus from Cancún, Mexico to complete the journey, but nothing would work.
She also tried to swap tickets with friends who were flying out Wednesday, but Southwest was unable to make the switch, Katie claimed.
The couple had been dreaming of a romantic destination wedding (CNN)"I cried all morning on December 30," the distraught mum told Insider.
Katie says the wedding group has lost more than $70,000 (£58,000) in lost rooms at the wedding venue, which doesn't offer refunds or postpone reservations.
"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," Katie added.
"Knowing that we were not ringing in 2023 as husband and wife as we had hoped to do."
Southwest refunded Katie's flights, and she was able to postpone some of the services she bought for the wedding.
She was one of thousands of passengers whose flights were cancelled over Christmas when strong storms battered the US.
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Following the travel issues, Southwest released a statement on January 3.
"During the New Year holiday weekend (Friday-Sunday), Southwest operated 11,092 flights, a system completion rate of 99.1%," it read.
Flights were impacted across the US (Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)"We intend nearly all baggage delayed during the recent holiday travel week to be shipped or delivered by midweek
"Our work continues to repair relationships with our customers, including loyal members of Southwest Rapid Rewards.
"Beginning this morning, we're reaching by email to every ticketed customer significantly impacted last week to offer a tailored gesture of goodwill and another heartfelt apology that redoubles our commitment to customer.
"Our teams are focused on returning baggage, processing requests for refunds, and reimbursing certain incidental expenses related to the disruption in travel in a round-the-clock effort aided by the support of Employee volunteers."
A spokesperson for Southwest said: " We apologize to all Customers affected by the recent travel disruption, including Ms. Demko.
"Customers who need assistance with requesting refunds or reimbursements can find that here."