Wichita Airport staff came together to show their appreciation for 96 stranded Marines. This group was coming from Marine Corps Base Camp Lejuene in Jacksonville, North Carolina and heading to Twenty-nine Palms, California, when they stopped in Wichita for fuel on October 15th around 10:00 pm. Unfortunately, while grounded, the flight crew timed out, causing them to wait 12 hours to take off again.
Due to their late arrival in Wichita, all restaurants within the terminal had already closed. Plus, there were limited hotel options for such a large group, forcing the Marines to stay overnight in the baggage area and mezzanine. They did not leave until the next day, October 16th around 2 pm.
Several Wichita Airport staff members came together to accommodate the Marines during their time at ICT. Southwest Airlines employees quickly ran to the store to buy groceries and personally cooked homemade breakfast burritos. They also provided orange juice, milk, and doughnuts. United Airlines provided chips and other various snacks. Allegiant staff provided pizzas. Wichita Airport Authority provided Chick-fil-A sandwiches, coffee, doughnuts, muffins, and other pastries and Paradies LaGardere, the airport’s retail concessionaire, provided travel kits and toiletries. Needless to say, they did not go hungry.
This is one small way we could show our appreciation for the sacrifices our servicemen and women make for our country. We are grateful to work with such a caring staff that continuously goes above and beyond for our customers.
