Written by Joseph Dickerson
While most students were stuck on campus Tuesday, Feb. 9, Tiffany Jones was stuck trying to get back to campus.
Jones, a junior public relations major, had made plans to fly home to Falls Church, Va., for the weekend to celebrate with friends and family at her mom’s retirement party. This was rare since she normally goes home for only long breaks like spring break, Thanksgiving and Christmas.
With the Jan. 29 snow day behind her and more wintry weather threatening, she hoped to make it home and back safely and without delay. She flew out of the Little Rock National Airport Thursday, Feb. 4, and when she landed at the Reagan National Airport in Arlington, Va., the weather seemed like it might hold out for her.
“It was dry. It was 40 degrees. It was fine,” Jones said. “I was like, ‘maybe it won’t be quite so bad.'”
After leaving the airport she started seeing things that gave her the impression that the weather was not going to stay pleasant.
“There were snow plows parked on all the major highways and streets, just waiting,” Jones said.
Her mother did not want to cancel the party because many family members had flown up in order to attend. She was worried about the weather being a problem, but with the threat of snow, some decided to not risk the trip.
The snow started falling during the retirement party, so Jones’s mother cut it short so those who had to drive could get back safely.
Most of the family that had flown in, including Tiffany, were supposed to fly out Saturday morning, but all flights were canceled. Tiffany’s flight was canceled three times. First, the airline had called her as soon as she had landed on Thursday and told her that all flights were canceled for Saturday, and she had been rebooked to fly out on Monday.
By Sunday, the Washington, D.C. area had three feet of snow, bringing all transportation to a halt. Churches were also closed, but the Jones family performed their own Sunday service with Uncle Napoleon preaching to a small house church of loved ones.
With flights canceled, the Jones’ townhouse for two became a refuge for six, including three uncles and one aunt from Alabama.
“They were really excited to be in the snow so they shoveled everything which was great because I really didn’t want to get out there,” Jones said about her family from Alabama. “My uncle, when he was flying back, wanted to take some [snow] back with him. My mom told him if it was less than three ounces, he could take it through security.”
Then the airline called Jones while she was at home on Sunday to tell her they had postponed her flight to Tuesday. Jones begged and pleaded with the ticketing agent, saying that she could not leave on Tuesday since Washington, D.C. was expected to get another foot of snow which might further strand her. She ended up taking the Tuesday flight, praying everything would be OK.
Jones then called the airlines back Monday morning and was able to get a flight out Monday night to Chicago’s O’Hare International Airport. When she arrived in Chicago, she was told that all flights into the Little Rock National Airport were canceled.
The airline was unable to find her luggage, and she was forced to get a hotel in Chicago and wait until she could fly the rest of the way back to Arkansas.
Finally, she made it back into the Little Rock National Airport on Tuesday at 8:30 p.m. in time to get back to school on Wednesday.
“I have never been stranded before,” Jones said.
