CORNER BROOK, N.L. -- A lovestruck Michigan teen appears to have fallen short in his daunting Twitter challenge to snag free airline tickets to see his Newfoundland girlfriend.

C.J. Poirier convinced Air Canada to give him tickets to visit his Newfoundland girlfriend -- if he could manage to get 530,000 retweets for his request.

With hours to go before the deadline Wednesday, he had racked up about only 30,000 retweets, far short of his goal.

Air Canada, though, vaguely suggested Wednesday all was not lost.

"Keep an eye on our social media channels over the next few days!" the airline told The Canadian Press by email when asked for comment.

Poirier, a 19-year-old barista from Clarkston, Mich., met Becca Warren of Corner Brook, N.L., online last year and they decided they wanted to meet in person after six months of texting.

"Of all the girls I've had the chance to meet, I'm glad it was her," Poirier said Wednesday.

So Poirier took to Twitter, asking Air Canada how many retweets it would take for free round-trip tickets.

Air Canada replied by asking what the population of Newfoundland was -- and said it would take that many.

Poirier said Warren, who shares his same interests in cartoons, video games and music, was surprised when Air Canada responded to his tweet.

"She's been helping me with interviews, responding to positive comments, and being the biggest supporter in the world," Poirier said.

As of Wednesday afternoon, Poirier said Air Canada has not yet contacted him about his deadline.

"Honestly, I'm going to be intrigued if they respond at all," Poirier said.

As a backup plan, Poirier launched a GoFundMe page called #530KforBecca, in hopes of making his dream come true.

He's already received $388 of his $500 goal through donations.

"I plan on going no matter what," Poirier said. "She and I connect better than anyone in each other's lives and I want to make every moment with her the best I can make it."

On his Go Fund Me page, Poirier said he dropped out of college, picked up a full-time job as a Starbucks barista and began streaming more often on his YouTube channel to save money to visit "the love of my life."

"While the deadline has been reached, the experience has been worthwhile and I thank them for giving me this opportunity," Poirer said via Twitter message.

"I didn't expect the campaign to take off as it did and I'm just thankful for everyone who's helping us reach our goal."