Jeff Smith, his wife Kathleen and their two children Paddon and Tanner were scheduled to be on the ill-fated flight but were talked out of it.
Smith visiting his family in Port Elgin, says he and his family were delayed over and over again in Newark, New Jersey where the flight began.
He says a stewardess or a gate attendent came over and suggested that he not take the flight because it was going to be a bad ride because of weather conditions and she was concerned for Smith’s young children.
Based on that advice, they took a later flight and landed in Buffalo an hour later when they found out about the crash.
Smith says it’s surreal feeling knowing that he has four boarding passes for seats 5A and B and 6A and B that were never used.
Smith and his family live in Florida.
He was up to visit family and to referee a series of hockey games in the American Hockey League over the next 10-days.
