Travel agents work to get stranded travelers in and out of Omaha

Southwest Airlines is still struggling Wednesday, either canceling or delaying arrivals and departures. Stranded flyers are turning to travel agents. But they aren’t having much luck either.”I stayed on hold for almost 12 hours to get their flights taken care of,” travel agent Bridget Broders said.The owner of Blue Water Destinations says that’s how long it took her to switch her client’s flight from Omaha to Sioux falls.”It was a long night,” Broders said. “So I just laid down in bed and put an AirPod in and I woke up the next morning at 5 and then we were still on hold. So right before 6 a.m. is when I finally got it. I got somebody to answer.” While travel agents try to solve their client’s cases, bags are waiting for their owners at Eppley airfield Wednesday. If you need help getting home, but didn’t travel through an agent, you may have to pay a service fee to get their help. One woman watching news stories about holiday travel lives minutes from the airport. Stephanie Mann says she wants to be a travel agent. But until then, the Greater Saint Paul Church hospitality volunteer is opening her home to families with kids who are stuck in Omaha.”If you know you’re stuck, you know your luggage is there, you come and do whatever you need to do,” Mann said. “Peace of mind.”You can contact Mann through her Facebook here.Flyers are also turning to AAA. An Omaha spokesperson says they’re getting an increase in calls. If you have a membership, AAA says they can help you rent a car, rebook a flight, or request a refund.