Stuck in Dallas: Lubbock Radio Personality Struggles to Make it Home

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This past week I traveled across the country to visit my family. The trip went by with very few hiccups and everything seemed great - until the very last day.

Anyone that’s traveled by plane recently knows how crazy things are. Flights are constantly delayed and sometimes canceled, leaving hundreds of people out of luck. I’m typically pretty fortunate when flying, so even if there is some sort of delay, things still work out okay in the end. However, trying to make it home this time was messier than ever.

Trying to get anywhere from Lubbock, you typically have to have a connection in Dallas/Fort Worth, Texas, or Denver, Colorado. The big issue with making these connecting flights is ensuring that your flights line up properly so you can still make it to your final destination.

You either end up with an excessively long layover that doubles your travel time but leaves plenty of room for delays, or you risk it and go for a shorter layover in hopes that everything works out as scheduled. However, no matter how much extra time you give yourself for a layover, things can still go wrong, just like they did for me.

My flight to DFW was delayed for nearly two hours, which caused me to miss my connecting flight. Once you hear the news of a delay like that, you start figuring out what your other options are.

Is there another flight from Dallas to Lubbock later that evening? No.

Are there any rental cars available so I can just drive from Dallas to Lubbock? No.

Well, I guess I’m stranded in Dallas then.

Fortunately, airports deal with these issues all the time so they're pretty accommodating. After talking with an agent about getting the earliest flight out of DFW the next morning, I was able to get a free room at the airport hotel along with a meal voucher. Although it was great to know I’d have a place to stay that night, I really wanted to be in my own bed at that point.

Despite the bump in the road that led to 6 hours of travel turning into over 20 hours, I did eventually make it back to Lubbock safe and sound. It's so great to be back home. No more planes, no more luggage, just back home in the Hub City.