Holiday travel plans are facing potential disruptions as a government shutdown threatens to impact flights across the United States. For travelers like Cheryl Peralez from Cudahy, Wisconsin, this means facing the uncertainty of whether her daughter’s Thanksgiving flight from Milwaukee to Charlotte will be grounded.
Peralez, concerned about the possibility of cancellation, is considering alternative travel plans that might involve a lengthy drive. “If it is canceled, then I will end up having to miss at least one day of work to come up with a plan … to drive her down either to Tennessee or Kentucky to meet my brother,” she explained.
The financial burden of such a change is not lost on Peralez. “The drive, I don’t mind, but given the price of gas and how everything is going up in price … it kind of sucks,” she added.
In response to the shutdown, the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is implementing a 10 percent reduction in flights at 40 major airports, as outlined in a statement released Thursday. This reduction began on Friday and could lead to as many as 4,000 daily cancellations, according to a CNBC report.
While no Wisconsin airports are directly affected, the impact is expected to be felt nationwide, causing potential disruptions even where flights are currently scheduled to continue. Notably affected airports include O’Hare International in Chicago and Los Angeles International, among others.
At Milwaukee’s Mitchell International Airport, three flights were canceled as of Friday afternoon, according to FlightAware. County Executive David Crowley reassured travelers with a statement on Thursday, posted on X, that flights are “expected to remain on schedule,” although he cautioned that this could change if the shutdown continues.
Michael Riechers from Dane County Regional Airport echoed similar concerns, noting that the reductions could indirectly affect travel from Madison, where many destinations are among those impacted.
Travelers like Joan Smith, who was in Milwaukee for a work conference, expressed relief that her flight to Seattle-Tacoma International Airport was not canceled, though she remained wary of potential delays. “I think I’ll probably be unhappy when I get up in the air and they say something like, ‘we’re going to have to circle the airport for three hours,’” she said. “But no, I think it’ll be fine.”
As of late Friday, cancellations for domestic flights or flights into or out of the U.S. had surged to 996, reported by FlightAware.
Julio Guerrero of West Allis faces similar uncertainty as he prepares for a trip to Mexico City with his daughter. “Well, I planned a 10-day trip,” Guerrero said. “Will it end up being a 10-day trip? We don’t really know.”
Amidst the upheaval, United Airlines CEO Scott Kirby announced plans for “rolling updates to our schedule,” while some airlines, including United and American Airlines, are offering full refunds for those impacted by the disruptions, as noted by The Hill.
Laura Albert, a professor at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, warned of broader economic impacts, stating, “I expect many (travelers) will proactively cancel their plans, or if a flight’s canceled, maybe they don’t rebook it, they just cancel the trip entirely.”
