Nearly four months after they were left stranded in Cheyenne, Wyo., angry United Express passengers may finally be getting the compensation they demand.

United Airlines says it will fully reimburse the expenses of 110 passengers on two flights operated by its contractor, Shuttle America, that diverted to Cheyenne after a blizzard hit the Denver airport on Dec. 20.

Passengers spent tens of thousands of dollars for hotel rooms, meals, rental cars and new plane tickets to resume their trips after the jets that had brought them from Cedar Rapids, Iowa, and Columbus, Ohio, left Cheyenne without them on Dec. 21.

Their experience was first publicized in a Feb. 20 USA Today story. United had issued trip credits to some who complained, and the day before the USA Today story was to be published, a United spokeswoman said the airline would contact passengers and cover hotel and meal expenses.

But passengers say it's been a nightmare dealing with the airline since their two flights landed in a snowstorm at the small Wyoming airport, even after the published promise of reimbursement.

Last week, United learned that USA Today was publishing a follow-up story on passengers' attempts for reimbursement. John Tague, United's executive vice president and chief revenue officer, said the airline will provide "full reimbursement" for all expenses related to the diverted Cheyenne flight, including meals, hotels, car rentals, other transportation and airline tickets. United also will consider reimbursing expenses paid in cash, or those without receipts.

United spokeswoman Jean Medina says it is now contacting all 110 passengers about expenses.

"United is finally trying to come clean," says passenger Keith Owens, who works for a paper company and was bound to Denver on Dec. 20 for a connecting flight to Oregon.

Passengers left in Cheyenne found no other flights operating and rental cars scarce. Passengers called relatives or acquaintances to rescue them, checked back into Cheyenne hotels or carpooled for a two-hour drive to the Denver airport or a six-hour drive to Salt Lake City.

Passengers who booked flights on United in Salt Lake City, or with other airlines in Denver, say United's airport agents refused to pay for their tickets.

These and other passengers who were left in Cheyenne say they later wrote letters or made phone calls requesting reimbursement for tickets and other expenses, but were rebuffed by United customer service agents. The agents sent a discount certificate for a future flight to some passengers.

After the initial USA Today story, United Express Vice President Alex Marren sent letters of apology to passengers and enclosed a discount certificate for a future flight. Marren also asked for receipts for hotels, "alternate transportation" and "any reimbursement that may be applicable."

Not all passengers received letters, and several who did were irate. They say they were offered little or were insulted by the accompanying discount certificate that didn't cover the full cost of a future ticket.

"It was a slap in the face," says Andi Schoonover, of Waterloo, Iowa, who was on the flight from Cedar Rapids with her husband and three children. They were on vacation and had planned to connect in Denver for a flight to Albuquerque.

Schoonover says United enclosed two $200 discount certificates for her and her husband but nothing for her children. She says United should pay for the $3,200 cost of their vacation. "What do I care about a couple of hundred dollars of vouchers?" she says. "My vacation was ruined because of them."

Frank Barresi of Iowa City was sent a $300 discount certificate by Marren. He sent in receipts for a $99 hotel bill and a $201 car rental, but United refused to reimburse him for the auto rental, he says.

Tague, the United executive, said that United wants to resolve all outstanding issues with the 110 passengers and "fix" any decision by a United customer service agent that caused conflict.