Adam Dani and his three kids, Bethany, Carter, and Andrew, are exhausted after a long few days of travel.
Dani warns other air passengers, "Be ready for anything because it seems like it's a big disaster."
His original plan was to go from Massachusetts to Oklahoma, with a quick layover in Chicago on Wednesday night.
But Dani said after hours of delay through American Airlines, the family of four was rescheduled for a new flight, stopping in Charlotte, North Carolina first. By the time the flight landed, their connecting flight to Oklahoma City already took off.
The restaurants at the airport were closed at that point, so his children ate Pringles for dinner and curled up on sweaters to sleep on the airport floor.
On Thursday, Dani said they were put on a standby list for a flight, but that didn't work out. Then, they waited on standby for a second flight.
"We were the first four on the standby list. They had spots for three," said Dani.
He wanted his children to get out of the airport and safely to their grandparents in Oklahoma. He decided to send them first, and the three minors traveled without him.
Dani got back in the customer service line and waited hours to be rescheduled. He spent another night sleeping at the airport in Charlotte, and finally took a flight on Friday morning to reunite with his kids.
"Don't check bags," Dani recommends to other flyers. "Bring a sweatshirt. [...] and pack your patience too."