Megan Pickford, wife of England goalkeeper Jordan Pickford, recounted a harrowing "24 hours of airport hell" after her flight home from the World Cup was canceled. The ordeal left her and her three young children sleeping in a "freezing" airport terminal.
Pickford, who had been in the U.S. supporting the England team, faced travel disruptions following their semi-final defeat. This came after she had already experienced the stress of losing her luggage during the tournament.
According to a video shared on TikTok, the family's initial flight was canceled after sitting on the runway for six hours. They were reportedly forced to disembark because the "staff had exceeded their time limits." Following the cancellation, Pickford and her children, Arlo (seven), Ostara Haze (three), and Misty Celine (15 months), had to spend the night at the airport. Pickford shared that she purchased a new hoodie from a gift shop to cope with the cold air conditioning.
After rebooking, the family faced another six-hour wait in the terminal for their second flight. Once boarded, they were delayed an additional two hours due to a missing part, with Pickford noting the possibility of further cancellation.
Later, Pickford posted an update indicating that their flight had eventually departed. Videos showed her children sleeping on her during the flight, with Pickford captioning the post, "Appreciating the scene of a plane taking me home." The family was met by a driver for their onward journey from London to Manchester.
Jordan Pickford had already returned to England with the team on Sunday, after securing third place in the World Cup with a 6-4 victory against France. Megan Pickford had previously shared her frustration when her suitcase went missing, delaying her ability to wear her planned designer outfits for matches. She was later reunited with her luggage, describing it as a "special delivery" and humorously remarking that it "will not be leaving my sight before tomorrow's game," ending the post with the hashtag #suitcasegate.