Traveling during the holidays is already stressful—but add a dog, a new airline, a flight cancellation, and you have a full-blown nightmare.
A few Christmases ago, my fiancé Matt and I were flying to my sister’s house with our pup, Rupert. I had booked a flight with Allegiant because the tickets were cheap, and they allowed dogs—what could go wrong? (Spoiler: Everything.)
The airport was an hour and a half away, and we hit brutal traffic. But we made it! Just as we were about to check in, I got a text—our flight was delayed by two hours. Annoying, but manageable. We settled in with some snacks, queued up Netflix, and had Rupert’s toys to keep him entertained.
Then, as we were walking up to the counter, luggage and dog in tow, my phone buzzed again. Flight canceled. Just. Like. That.
Now we were stuck—days before Christmas, flights were outrageously expensive, and we had no way to get to my sister’s. Panic set in.
We scrambled to find another flight. The way this airport worked, different airlines were in different sections. We had to haul all our luggage and Rupert from Section A to Section C to try our luck with JetBlue. After what felt like endless lines, we finally reached the counter.
By some miracle, JetBlue had space for all three of us. Relief washed over us! We made it to Christmas, but let’s just say I learned my lesson—always research airlines before booking. (Fun fact: After the fact, I looked up Allegiant and saw they cancel flights all the time. Wish I had known that before!)
Moral of the story?
📌 Always have a backup plan.
📌 Be prepared for anything (especially during holiday travel).
📌 Do your research before booking with a budget airline!
Have you ever had a travel nightmare? Drop your story in the comments—We would love to hear it! ⬇️
