Milwaukee travelers face ripple effects as FAA cuts flights nationwide

MILWAUKEE - The government shutdown has stretched to 37 days, and nationwide flight disruptions could soon follow. 

FAA cuts raise nationwide concerns

What we know:

The FAA is preparing to cut flights at 40 major airports starting Friday, Nov. 7 – a move experts warn will ripple across the country just as holiday travel ramps up. Air traffic will be cut by 10% at these airports.

Milwaukee Mitchell International Airport is not on the FAA’s list. But several of its routes connect to airports that are, including Minneapolis, Chicago O’Hare and Chicago Midway, meaning local travelers could still face delays, cancellations and rising ticket prices.

Mitchell not on the list — but still affected

Local perspective:

"Doesn’t look like Milwaukee Mitchell is going to be affected directly," said Brian Jacobsen, chief economist at Annex Wealth Management. "Clearly it is going to have an effect on wait times. The possibility of cancellations or delays. And the frustration of not knowing whether or not your flight is going to take off on time."

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For passengers flying through affected hubs, the uncertainty is already setting in.

"Obviously, a big airport like Minneapolis – just worried about getting home for the weekend," said Dave Zoltan, who boarded a Delta flight to Minneapolis on Thursday.  "The email has already gone out from Delta saying that there might be some issues tomorrow."

Not only are delays and cancellations expected, but experts say ticket prices are already rising as airlines prepare to operate with fewer flights.

Airlines warn passengers as cancellations loom

Dig deeper:

"Some of the real-time indicators of prices is that they are rising," Jacobsen said. "Because you have fewer flights – you have somebody who wants to get to some place, they are going to have to move to a different one."

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Airlines including Delta, American and United are offering refunds to travelers who choose to skip flights impacted by the cuts.

 "We’re hoping not to cross that path at this point, but yeah, it's here," Zoltan said.

With the holiday season approaching, experts urge travelers to watch their flight schedules closely – and drive, if possible.