Thousands of stranded holiday travelers unable to reach their Christmas destinations over the weekend were stunned to learn that the airline they had booked seats on, Comair, does not exist.

At first, Comair had blamed the cancellation of thousands of flights on a computer glitch, but with the possibility looming that travelers would soon discover that the airline itself did not exist, it decided to come clean.

“We are sorry if our imaginary status has in any way inconvenienced holiday travelers,” said non-existent company spokesman Cheryl McKree. “I want to apologize to all of them on behalf of Comair and its 1500 fictitious employees.”

She added that while the passengers’ checked baggage did in fact exist, Comair had absolutely no idea where any of it was.