Nov. 27--Patsy Bunch considered taking a cab from Augusta to Charlotte when her 5:30 p.m. flight was canceled Tuesday because of rain.
At home, in Minneapolis, her turkey was already out and defrosting, and her three sons -- ages 2, 3, and 10 months -- were ready to see their mom, who was in Georgia for two weeks to attend her aunt's funeral.
Luckily, U.S. Airways, which offered to pay the taxi fare, upgraded Bunch to a 7:20 p.m. flight to Charlotte.
"I am glad they fixed it," said Bunch, 20.
"At first, I did not know what I was going to do," she said. "For a second, I thought I wouldn't be home for the holidays."
Bunch said this was her first round-trip flight.
Among other things, she said she learned always to board with a fully charged phone.
"In my first trip, I have experienced all the joys and challenges of flying," she said. "I can't wait to get home."
In an already busy holiday travel week, messy weather has slowed flights in and out of Augusta Regional Airport.
Late on Tuesday, a winter weather system moving northeast canceled one U.S. Airways flight to Charlotte Douglas International Airport in North Carolina and delayed another Delta flight to Atlanta 30 minutes, according to the Federal Aviation Administration.
Ticket agents in Augusta said the wet weather is not expected to last and that delays, although a drag, are expected this time of the year, primarily because of the some 43 million Americans expected to travel for the holiday weekend, according to AAA.
Copyright 2013 - The Augusta Chronicle, Ga.
