Road-tripping Sooners fans aim for winning bowl experience despite Southwest Airlines' woes
It just wouldn't seem right Thursday at the Cheez-It Bowl in Orlando without Marc Rangel, (on Twitter as @senoroukc) or his sidekick, Jerry Lewis (@boomerjerry56) wearing their signature OU suits, complete with hats — a sombrero and a fedora, respectively — visible in the stands
But being unable to attend the game between Oklahoma and Florida State almost became a reality for both men and Marc's wife, Juanita, after Southwest Airlines earned unsportsmanlike conduct penalties from them and many others across the nation by canceling thousands of flights, including theirs.
"Jerry and I are super fans," Marc Rangel said, explaining why they never lost their determination to attend the game. "We are both members of the OU Club of Kansas City, where we help raise money for scholarships."
The Rangels and Lewis originally were booked a direct Southwest flight from Kansas City that would have put them in Orlando, Florida, about 1 a.m. Thursday.
Luckily, Marc Rangel was notified by his Southwest app that their flight was canceled early Monday, leaving enough time on the clock for him, Juanita and Jerry to think about other ways to get there.
It turned out that both he and Lewis could take the week off, while Juanita Rangel preferred to keep her feet on the ground anyway.
Their unplanned, yet epic road trip turned out being just a single car rental reservation away. While Marc said he was not necessarily looking forward to a long drive, he added there are some benefits.
For example, he no longer has to worry whether his signature OU Sooners sombrero might get crushed if he carried it onto a plane.
Besides, he said renting a car gives them a chance to see a lot of country in a way they couldn't from 35,000 feet.
They hit the road in Kansas City about noon Tuesday, making it to Chattanooga, Tennessee, late that day before stopping.
Marc, who said he is doing the driving on this trip, expected it would take about 22 hours to complete the journey, putting them in Orlando about 6 p.m. Wednesday — far enough ahead of schedule to have a little fun.
"We may even get a chance to do a little bit of sightseeing once we get there."
Marc also admitted the week could have turned out much worse.
On Dec. 27 (the day after discovering his canceled flight), he won a football autographed by legendary OU coach Barry Switzer through a social media promotion on Twitter and Instagram conducted by 1 Oklahoma NIL, a nonprofit that makes impactful NIL contributions to OU student athletes.
"That helped turn around what had started out as a bad week," he said, laughing.
Air travel disruptions continue at home, abroad
According to Flightaware.com, 2,858 flights into, out of or within the U.S. were canceled Wednesday, with Southwest responsible for 2,509 of those.
Thursday's cancellation total was 2,376, nearly all flights operated by Southwest,, the website showed Wednesday.
It showed Southwest canceled 30 flights set to land at or depart from Will Rogers World Airport in Oklahoma City Wednesday and another 27 on Thursday.
Emily Virgin, of Norman, found herself among frustrated OU fans who had planned to attend the Cheez-It Bowl before discovering they potentially were out thousands of dollars in costs for their flights, hotels and game tickets because they couldn't find an affordable way to make it to Orlando in time for the game.
Virgin said she was able to find some other air travel options, but wasn't willing to pay $1,000 or more for a one-way ticket just to get there.
She said there was no real market to sell her tickets after canceling her plans, and expressed skepticism about whether or not she might be able to recover the money for those or her hotel from the airline.
"We are out quite a bit of money," Virgin said.
Virgin said the airline historically has treated its customers well and offered better-than-average services at competitive pricing by using a no-frills approach that kept its costs in check.
"That has just gone out the window," Virgin said.
As for whether she is willing to forgive and forget, Virgin replied, "we will see."
"We know there will be a next time — extreme weather is kind of the new normal," she said. "Right now, an apology is not really enough. My loyalty will depend on how quickly they can remedy the situation."
This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: Dedicated Sooners fans take to road to make Thursday's Cheez-It Bowl
