MILWAUKEE — The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is directing airlines to reduce flights at 40 major U.S. airports by up to 10% over the next week as the ongoing government shutdown leaves air traffic controllers fatigued and understaffed.
While Milwaukee's Mitchell International Airport is not on the list of affected airports, many flights departing from Milwaukee connect to destinations that could experience delays and cancellations in the coming days.
"Because Milwaukee tends to have a lot of layovers, like mostly to Chicago, since Chicago is one of the 40 that is affected, Milwaukee airport will definitely be affected as well," said Aristeo Quezada Lopez, vice president of Flylda Travel, a decades-old travel agency on Milwaukee's south side.
The flight reductions are set to begin Friday and target high-traffic airports across the country. The directive comes as the government shutdown continues to impact federal workers, including air traffic control staff who are working without pay.
Watch related news: FAA is directing airlines to reduce flights at 40 major U.S. airports
Passenger reactions mixed at Mitchell International
Most passengers at Milwaukee's Mitchell International Airport experienced no delays Thursday, but reactions to the potential disruptions varied.
"We're not too worried about it, we'll just kind of take it as it comes," said Miguel Montano, who was traveling to Florida.
Others expressed more concern about their travel plans.
"It does make me nervous, especially with hearing a lot of flights are getting cancelled," said Lisa Morales, who was flying to Texas.
Paul Hartlaub, traveling to New York's LaGuardia Airport, worried about the impact on busy destinations.
"It's concerning, because like we're flying into LaGuardia, which is busier than Milwaukee, and if they cut 10%, they're going to have to cut some flights, and what are they going to do? Reroute them? Cancel them?" Hartlaub said.
Watch: Milwaukee travel expert warns of flight disruptions as FAA asks airlines to cut flights at 40 airports
Travel expert offers advice for passengers
Quezada-Lopez recommends travelers book flights early, especially with the holiday travel season approaching. He warns that the flight reductions will create additional challenges.
"Bottlenecking will appear more significantly. Prices will jump up, and there will be fewer planes available for people to take," Quezada-Lopez said.
He also suggests passengers consider purchasing travel insurance to protect against delays or cancellations.
"Travel insurance will be more or less guaranteeing that you get a refund or maybe being able to change the date of my travel," Quezada-Lopez said.
He also recommends staying in touch with your airline. Several major airlines, including Southwest, United, Delta and American Airlines, have all released statements in response to the directive from the FAA.
Passengers call for quick resolution
Several travelers expressed frustration with the government shutdown and called for a swift resolution.
"I do think it's irresponsible that they're not getting together and negotiating and resolving this shutdown," Hartlaub said, who is flying to New York.
Natasha Ventura, who is flying to Texas, emphasized the urgency of the situation.
"It's very stressful; it adds a great amount of stress to everyone involved. The people flying, but also the people who are in charge of making sure that we travel safely," Ventura said. "It's important that we are looking into everything that we can to get this resolved immediately."
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
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