‘A bad Hallmark movie:’ Father tweets effort to get home by Christmas amid travel woes

By Samiar Nefzi

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    ASHEVILLE, North Carolina (WLOS) — Since Wednesday, Dec. 21, more than 17,000 flights have been canceled due to winter weather.

Among the millions of travelers who became stranded were political analyst Chris Cooper and his 9-year-old son after they went on a skiing trip to Montana.

“This is what happens when you try to go skiing in the winter,” Cooper lamented.

Cooper, who you may recognize from his frequent appearances on News 13, and his son Jack left North Carolina to meet with extended family in Big Sky.

“It was great,” explained Cooper. “The skiing was fantastic. It was really good to see them.”

The trip went as planned until it was time to leave. That’s when the father-son duo would find themselves at the mercy of winter weather.

“It [was] my son’s first big ski trip out West, so I’m curious to see if he’s going to realize [that] isn’t normal,” Cooper said.

“It was out of a bad Hallmark movie” When it was time to leave the Montana mountains, they made their way to Bozeman where the trip took a bitter turn.

“There was nothing anybody could have done, really,” said Cooper after learning about his flight’s cancelation. “The temperature in Bozeman was -42. So, when they said it was too cold to run the deicers, I don’t think they’re making it up.”

The Coopers were supposed to fly out of Montana on Thursday, Dec. 22, right as many airports faced air travel disruptions.

“It was just sad,” Cooper said. “I have a 9-year-old kid (Jack) and it was out of a bad Hallmark movie. I’m like, ‘Son, I promise we’ll get home for Christmas.’ Well, I kind of lied.”

With no chance of flying out of Bozeman, the Coopers drove nearly seven hours to Salt Lake City, where signs of hope came in the form of a flight to Chicago.

Cooper took Twitter to vlog his trek back home to Western North Carolina.

“I’ve been here before. But this time feels different. #OptismitsUnite,” one tweet read.

The pair finally made it to Chicago, where the situation only worsened.

“It would be not just cancelation, but delay, delay, delay, delay, canceled,” Cooper recalled. “I think that was kind of the breaking point for a lot of people.” Through the charades of delays and cancelations, Cooper tweeted, “They’re keeping me on my toes,” regarding the airline.

However, his vlog would end with a defeated tweet announcing they would not make it home for Christmas morning. The father and son would be stranded in Chicago.

“This Twitter thread is over with a sad ending.” “We went to some restaurant in Chicago. Some waitress felt terrible for us and gave my son basically the largest piece of chocolate pie you’ve ever seen in your entire life,” Cooper jokingly said.

Eventually, their “Polar Express” ticket would come in the form of a flight, not home, but to Knoxville, Tennessee.

Chris and Jack then got a rental car and drove two hours back to Western North Carolina just in time for Christmas lunch.

Cooper concluded his travel experience on Twitter with a photo of his fireplace and stockings, captioned with “home.”

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