Stranded At The Airport? Have Some Fries On Shake Shack

I recently had a terrible airport experience. On a flight back to Chicago from Los Angeles, we were redirected at the exact second we were hovering over Midway Airport to land instead in Indianapolis, Indiana. This was frustrating for several reasons: We were so close, yet so far from finally getting home—a mere three-hour drive should we have gotten our hands on a car. As we were let off the plane, the pilot basically said, "hey folks, you're on your own." It was about 2 a.m. EST (we were even in the wrong time zone) by the time we were finally let off the plane into the Indy airport, too late to have any sort of rational thoughts about the situation other than an internal monologue of "AHHHH!" It's hard to say if a free serving of French fries would have helped, but it certainly wouldn't have hurt.

This holiday travel season, Shake Shack is testing out the theory, offering free food to travelers stranded at the airport due to canceled and delayed flights, Eat This Not That reports. "At Shake Shack we have always been focused on creating uplifting experiences for our guests," said Jay Livingston, CMO of Shake Shack. "We know the holidays can be stressful, so we created this campaign to bring some fan excitement, especially in some of the busiest and crowded places around the holiday—the airport."

As with all fast food promotions, there are a few catches. The biggest one is that this offer is only guaranteed for folks stranded at JFK International Airport in New York between December 22 and 24. But considering it's one of the busiest airports in the world, there's a chance this might apply to more people than usual. If you happen to be one of the unlucky fliers, just stop by the Shake Shack in Terminal 4 and show proof of your mishap to score some free fries.

Stranded elsewhere? You could still have a shot at some gratis taters. Post a selfie in front of your departure gate proving your flight was delayed or canceled on Instagram and tag @ShakeShack to be entered to win a voucher for free fries. I recommend looking as sad and hungry as you possibly can in the selfie to increase your chances of winning. And from my stranded experience, that shouldn't be too hard to do.