Ted Cruz originally planned to return to Texas from Mexico.

Republican Senator Ted Cruz called his trip to Mexico "a mistake" following a flurry of criticism as his state faces a major winter storm crisis.

The airline is investigating who leaked data revealing when Cruz originally planned to return to Texas, which had been hit by a brutal winter storm that left millions without power. The change in schedule coincided with massive backlash on social media and beyond over Cruz's trip to Mexico on Wednesday at the height of the crippling weather event.

What to know: Ted Cruz escaped to Cancun during a crippling Texas storm in a pandemic, and travelers have so many questions.

Ted Cruz, R-Texas, checks in for his flight back to the USA at Cancun International Airport in Mexico on Feb

Reports of the trip from Houston to Cancun on United Airlines went viral Thursday, earning Cruz nonstop scorn from Democratic lawmakers and other critics, including United flight attendants stuck without power in Houston