Travelers flying through Wisconsin face delays, cancelations from government shutdown

Anthony Ryabchikov and his partner have been stuck in Milwaukee for 36 hours — and counting.

He said the air traffic delays amid the ongoing federal government shutdown “screwed them over.” After visiting Wisconsin for a convention over the weekend, they were frustrated and eager to get back to New York City. 

“We were supposed to leave yesterday, but it turns out we’re still waiting,” Ryabchikov said. 

They stayed in a nearby hotel Sunday night. Now, he and his partner want their money back. 

“(The airline) didn’t compensate us for the flight,” Ryabchikov said. “They basically just said, ‘Because the government’s doing it, we can’t do anything.’”

More than 30 flights had been cancelled or delayed at the Milwaukee Mitchell International Airport on Monday, according to FlightAware. That’s after the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration cut flights by 10 percent at 40 of the nation’s busiest airports because of the ongoing government shutdown. 

Though no Wisconsin airports have been directly impacted, some travelers like Ryabchikov and his partner are feeling its effects. 

Airports impacted include O’Hare International Airport in Chicago, where more than 600 flights had been canceled in the last 24 hours as of Monday afternoon. Other major airports directly affected included Minneapolis–Saint Paul International Airport, Metropolitan Wayne County Airport in Detroit, Los Angeles International Airport and LaGuardia Airport in New York.

Michael Riechers, director of communications for the Dane County Regional Airport, said in an email the national flight reduction “may indirectly affect travel through Madison, as many of our nonstop destinations are among the 40 impacted markets.”

There were nearly 2,500 flight cancellations and almost 20,000 flight delays nationwide as of Monday afternoon. 

Some travelers have been content with their flying experience during the government shutdown. 

Carmen Turner and her friends flew from Ohio to Milwaukee for a Brian Culbertson concert. They were waiting for a flight to Las Vegas that got delayed for a few minutes. While a shortage of air traffic controllers has been worsened by the shutdown, Turner has no safety concerns.

“​​I’m not (worried) because I believe I’m gonna die when I’m gonna die,” Turner said.