MILWAUKEE — Flight delays and cancellations continue to impact Milwaukee travelers as the longest government shutdown in U.S. history affects air travel nationwide
Travelers at Milwaukee's Mitchell International Airport are turning to rental cars and alternative transportation as flight disruptions ripple across the country.
While Milwaukee is not among the 40 airports seeing direct flight reductions mandated by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), the domino effect is still being felt locally.
Watch: Milwaukee travelers are abandoning flights in favor of rental cars:
On Monday alone, more than 5,000 flights were canceled nationwide with 17,000 delays reported.
Lines at ticket counters began forming at Mitchell International as dozens of flights faced cancellations and delays. Between Friday and Sunday, 190 flights were delayed and 43 were canceled at the Milwaukee airport. By mid-afternoon Monday, more than 40 flights were delayed and 30 canceled.
Kyle Schlimbach was traveling from Virginia when his connecting flight from O'Hare to Milwaukee was canceled.
"And then it was like 'no, your O'Hare to Milwaukee flight was cancelled,'" Schlimbach said.
The Federal Aviation Administration is forcing airlines to reduce flight operations nationwide as the government shutdown continues, leaving travelers scrambling for alternatives.
"So, I just gave up on my second flight. Because they were like, 'We can rebook you from O'Hare to Milwaukee, but it will be a 9 hour journey.' It's like an hour and a half drive!" Schlimbach said.
Christopher Kaulia's flight was canceled and he decided to rent a car for a 15-hour drive back to New York City rather than wait for uncertain flight options.
"Now we're just trying to figure out how to get home," Kaulia said.
He advised fellow travelers to remain flexible during the disruptions.
"Until you actually get on that plane, you have no clue what's going to happen, so just try to be flexible, have backup plans," Kaulia said.
Russell Tate managed to complete his flight from South Carolina to Milwaukee, but faced challenges securing a rental car upon arrival.
"At first we couldn't get any, and then we were able to get one, but it wasn't what we needed. There's very low inventory," Tate said.
Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy warned over the weekend that Thanksgiving travel could "slow to a trickle" if the government shutdown continues.
"I hope it is resolved soon, and I do not see any way that we could have Thanksgiving flight normalcy with all of this going on," Tate said.
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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