NARRATOR: Over at the ticket desk, a mother and her two sons
have arrived late and missed their flight to San Diego.
I don't want to go standby.
I want to be--
I want to have an assigned seat on a flight.
I was supposed to be at work this morning.
OK, ma'am--
NARRATOR: Sharon MacInerny and her sons
could be in for a long wait for the next flight.
If there's something at 9:15, we have
to standby the whole damn day?
Check another airline for me, America
West, any plane-- anything.
Just check another airline for me.
I want to get out of Chicago.
OK, let me do that.
Our flight was supposed to leave in 10 minutes,
and we missed our flight.
They got nothing available all day, you know.
I'm going to miss a whole day of work for this.
Got here late.
Didn't expect the line to be like this.
Then there was a problem with the credit card, I guess,
or something.
TICKETING AGENT: Ma'am, they advised you to be here
two hours before departure.
You showed up 20 minutes before departure.
[scoffs] Because the line.
TICKETING AGENT: The line takes about
40 minutes, 40 to 50 minutes.
Well, we've never been here before,
so I didn't know this, OK.
Yeah, everything's sold out.
It's Monday.
It's a busy day, so.
Everything's overbooked.
That's ridiculous.
God.
It's absolutely insane.
It's not like this in San Diego.
NARRATOR: Sharon and her sons have
no choice but to go on standby.
Justin, get over here and take this.
And then she tries to blame it on me
for not being here in time.
I don't think so.
NARRATOR: Sharon MacInerny and her sons
are now on standby for a flight to San Diego.
Will there be three seats left?
GATE AGENT: I only have two seats left.
Well, there goes that.
Let's go.
Let's go to America West.
Screw this.
You want to spend all damn day in the airport?
[inaudible]
The flight out--
the last flight is booked.
I'm just trying to get out of here.
Thank you.
They want 3,000 some odd dollars to get us the hell out of here.
[scoffs] And nobody else has got anything.
We're stuck.
I mean, Southwest is rude.
NARRATOR: It looks like Sharon's finally run out of options.
There's no way out of here.
Hi, yeah, I'm trying to get out of Chicago to go to San Diego.
Do you have anything available?
NARRATOR: Sharon MacInerny has tried every which way to escape
Chicago without success.
Great.
We can't get out of here.
I want to go home to San Diego.
I want to sue Southwest, man.
We can't get out of here.
I don't believe this.
[inaudible] stuck in damn Chicago.
Well, I--
NARRATOR: She ends up asking Anita if she
can get her on a flight today.
Let me see, just to make sure that I don't have a better way
for you to get to San Diego.
Just double checking, OK.
I mean, if the girl hadn't screwed
around with my credit card so long,
we could have made our flight.
Then she tells these guys, oh, well, she came up here
20 minutes before boarding.
That's not true.
OK.
So let's prepare you that you're going to go to Kansas City.
So again, a double connection, so
it changes planes again in Albuquerque
to get you to San Diego.
If it's the only way we can do it,
it's the only way we can do it.
Oh, my gosh.
I've never gone through so much hassle in my life.
Like--
NARRATOR: It's a roundabout way back to San Diego,
but it's their only option.
We're going to be able to go now.
Let's see if I can find Sharon.
NARRATOR: Back in Chicago, Anita is
absolutely determined to make sure Sharon gets on a flight
today.
ANITA (ON INTERCOM): Standby passenger Sharon MacInerny
to the podium, please.
Standby passenger Sharon MacInerny to the podium.
ANITA: Come on, Sharon.
[inaudible]
Think you made it, honey.
Oh, come on, guys.
ANITA: Didn't trust me, did you Sharon?
You didn't trust me, did you?
Oh god.
I'm very happy.
Get home a whole lot earlier than 5:17 tonight.
You guys are welcome to board, OK.
Right through the open door.
Thank you.
Come on, guys.
Let's go.