Stranded strangers become friends after random road trip to Knoxville

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (WVLT) -Thirteen strangers with 13 different reasons to get to Knoxville from Orlando were all hit with one problem Sunday night. Dozens of passengers were left stranded after an airline announced it was cancelling flights.

The next flight out wasn’t until Tuesday night, which wasn’t an option for customers like Michelle Miller who was a keynote speaker to a Knoxville conference.

“I marched up there and said can y’all rent us a bus?” Miller said.

Someone overheard her plan and liked it so much they took matters into their own hands. More than a dozen of them pitched in to rent a 15-passenger van and headed out on an hours-long road trip to the Scruffy City.

Alanah Story was traveling with her mom and aunt while she documented the entire experience on her phone. They said believe it or not it was a great trip.

“I feel like I captured a group of ragtag strangers,” Story said.

Now 13 strangers with 13 different backgrounds have one story to tell.

“It restores your faith in humanity a little bit you see all these strangers coming together, despite whatever their cultural or ethnic differences are, and they just come together. And do something good, just to be good,” Story said.

Each passenger made it to their respective destinations and events on time. A few Knoxville locals gathered for a small reunion Thursday night.

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