Yesterday I returned from a long weekend in Vegas. Still suffering from that over stimulating environment I boarded flight 2226 to Dallas at 3:00 pm looking forward to a quick return home to relax. We left only a few minutes behind schedule and I was most thankfully upgraded to first 24 hours prior so I was very comfortable. Flight was full , not an empty seat in the plane.

We start off for Dallas and the first hour of the flight is fairly normal with very good service from the flight crew. Unfortunately, weather decided to throw us a curve ball. The pilot informs us that DFW is closed due to intense weather parked over the airport. He says he is going to circle over oklahoma and wait for a slot but that we could have a fairly long delay as the weather was moving slowly. After 45 minutes of circling another announcement from the pilot indicating that we are just burning fuel and are going to divert to Tulsa as the storm was moving slowly. He indicated that he hoped to wait it out there and then continue to Dallas.

Upon arrival at Tulsa he actually pulls up to a gate and lets us get off!!! I couldn't believe it. We were allowed to stay in the terminal for 20 minutes or so and then reboarded. We had been given a slot so everyone hustles to their seat, the door closes and then another announcement from the pilot that DFW had closed again. In fact the plane that was parked next to us had been diverted to Tulsa as well and had left right before we were to leave. They returned about 15 minutes later.

After a few more minutes of waiting I saw the pilot discussing what appeared to be the work shift with the crew. He wanted to make sure they were able to stay on. They all agreed and then another announcement that we had been given a slot again and were going to make a go of it. The flight from Tulsa to Dallas was uneventful and the crew even served us drinks during the flight! We thankfully arrived in Dallas at about 10:45 pm with only a light to moderate rain over the airport.

I was very very impressed with the pilot. He made numerous announcements about the flight status and always let us know what was going on. Even on the 45 minute flight to DFW he made two announcements. The cabin crew made sure we were comfortable and continued service making sure everyone had anything they needed. They stayed on well past their scheduled hours and let us get home! All in all both the pilot and the crew turned what could have been a grueling experience into something positive. Kudos!