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Ground stop: Flight delays hit Milwaukee business
Businesses like ExecPark, which is located near Milwaukee Mitchell International Airport, are still grappling with the aftermath of Friday's four hour ground stop.
MILWAUKEE - The ripple effects from Friday's ground stop can be seen in businesses like a parking lot just across the street from Mitchell International Airport.
Even though the shutdown has been lifted, one of the owners of Exec Park told FOX6 News some of their customers are still trying to make it home.
Ground stop issues continue
The backstory:
"I just think it's a got to go with the flow and just be flexible," said Exec Park co-owner Tracy Schimetz.
It is the motto Schimetz said keeps her airport parking and shuttle service business going at times like this.
"We started taking phone calls people just saying we don’t know when we’re going to be able to get home," said Schimetz.
This comes after Friday's four-hour nationwide FAA ground stop halted flights across the country and triggered domino effects into the weekend.
"This morning flight there were no pilots for the airplanes, so their flights are all canceled again," said Schimetz.
It is a financial hit businesses like Schimetz's are facing head-on.
"I did refund some of the folks who had to cancel their trips completely," said Schimetz.
Dig deeper:
On top of refunds, Schimetz is also juggling overlapping reservations as stranded travelers stay longer than planned.
Daven Claerbout and his wife are among the hundreds of customers caught in the middle.
"So we stayed at Orlando for 3 to 7 o’clock this morning. Then flew to Nashville. Missed the flight there because of that," said Claerbout.
FOX6 News caught up with them after that long trip at the parking lot, where they came to finally pick up their car.
"I was very impressed with all the help at the airlines because those people they took a lot of verbal punishment and they never lost their cool," said Claerbout.
While some families are making it back, others are still stuck waiting.
"I have people that are sitting in Las Vegas that they can’t even get home until Tuesday or Wednesday possibly before they can get flights back in," said Schimetz.
Schimetz hopes things will get back on track soon.
"Let’s hope it never happens again," said Schimetz.
For now, Schimetz said her team is taking it flight by flight as the last of those stranded customers make their way back to Milwaukee.
The Source: Information in this story was gathered from Exec Park co-owner Tracy Schimetz and traveler Daven Claerbout.