40 airports to face flight cancellations because of government shutdown, Mitchell International to feel ripple effect

MILWAUKEE (CBS 58) -- Airports across the nation will experience flight delays and cancellations starting Friday, Nov. 7 because of the government shutdown. It’s the longest government shutdown in history, currently sitting at 37 days.

Elm Grove travel agency owner Jenny Cagle is focused on creating a backup plan for her clients as the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) announced 10% of all flights at 40 major airports will be canceled.

“We’ve run a report of all the people that we have traveling so we kind of get in front of it and manage it for our clients,” said Cagle.

Transportation Security Administration (TSA) agents and traffic controllers have been working without pay since the shutdown.

“I feel badly for TSA folks who aren’t getting paid, for people across the government who aren’t getting paid. So I made a special attempt to thank all the TSA people I ran into,” said John Burns, a traveler.

While Milwaukee Mitchell International Airport is not part of the airports directly affected, airports that act as connecting flight to Milwaukee, are. The Orlando International Airport is one of the 40 that will face cancellations. Burns is expected to fly there on Sunday.

“Having two trips to Wisconsin scheduled, this one this weekend and another one this weekend for Thanksgiving, I was concerned about whether or not I’d be delayed,” said Burns. “Worse case, I stay a little longer in Wisconsin. Is there really anything bad about that?”

Burns says while it’s an inconvenience, he just wants travelers to remember that airport staff are doing the best they can.

“Be extra kind,” said Burns.

Cagle encourages every traveler to download the app for their airline to get information about delays and cancellations. She’s also encouraging many travelers to get travel insurance to help offset the costs of things such as an overnight stay if your flight gets cancelled during a layover.

“Patience goes a really long way,” said Cagle.