Many TCU fans nervous to travel to Fiesta Bowl amid Southwest flight cancellations
FORT WORTH, Texas (CBSDFW.COM) — The TCU football team plays in the Fiesta Bowl against Michigan this Saturday.
TCU is the first Texas team to reach the College Football Playoff.
There is no doubt that fans are excited to see the game in person; However, the Southwest Airlines cancellations are putting a snag in some plans as canceled flights are forcing fans to find other ways to get to Phoenix.
"We're a little worried we may not get there, we'd hate to miss all that just from an airline cancelling flights," said TCU fan Angie Alexander. "Here we are, our team is doing something that we've waiting a lifetime for, against all odds, and here we are...an airline may prohibit us from getting there."
Alexander and her husband Scott's third wedding anniversary is also on the 31st and, usually, the couple takes a trip to the beach, but their plans changed after knowing TCU would play on that day.
"Of course we canceled our trip and it was non-refundable, so, at this point we're several thousand dollars in, so why not go all in? It's our anniversary...we're not just going to stay at home and watch the game, so we buy tickets to the Fiesta Bowl," Alexander added.
They have a scheduled flight through Southwest for Thursday afternoon and were able to check in online, but the nerves are still there.
"We've been watching the internet and checking the schedules, hitting refresh on the browser every hour to make sure we're not missing anything," Scott said.
Other TCU fans like Tracy Raesz had to alter their trips.
"Got a text yesterday at 3:30 in the morning saying the flight was canceled," said Raesz, who had to book a Thursday morning American Airlines flight through DFW Airport.
"Now I'm having to take an extra PTO day since I wont be at work at all tomorrow," Raesz added.
Former TCU football player David Bobo shared his journey on Twitter. His Southwest flight was cancelled so his family rented a car and is now taking a road trip to Phoenix.
Southwest tells CBS 11 they are aware of the big playoff games this weekend and are working to get fans to those destinations.
"Southwest please get us there!" Alexander said.