MILWAUKEE, Wis. — Travelers at Milwaukee Mitchell International Airport are facing significant disruptions to their holiday plans as the longest government shutdown in U.S. history continues to impact flight operations nationwide.

Nijeale Wilson experienced firsthand the ripple effects of FAA flight reductions when her flight to Pennsylvania to visit her son was canceled. The airline rebooked her on another flight, but it landed much farther from her intended destination.

“I had to rebook, so because of that I had to drive an hour and a half to get to my destination,” Wilson said. “It was frustrating at first, but of course, I roll with the punches.”

The disruptions extend far beyond individual inconveniences, according to travel industry professionals who are seeing widespread effects on their clients’ plans.

“When a plane doesn’t get from point A to point B, or a crew doesn’t get from point A to point B, it causes a ripple effect that can affect many flights down the line for days or weeks,” said Abby Rosenau, a vacation travel advisor with Fox World Travel.

Rosenau has watched her clients grapple with delays and cancellations as uncertainty continues.

“There is a lot of fear and a lot of uncertainty right now because we really don’t know. And even if this all ends — you know, the government shutdown ends — we don’t know how long it will take to ramp back up to, quote-unquote, normal operations,” Rosenau said.

A funding bill that would end the government shutdown is heading to the House for a final vote. However, even if the shutdown ends soon, there will be lasting effects on travel operations.

For travelers with upcoming holiday plans, Rosenau recommends several precautionary steps:

• Know your rights as a traveler by reading the fine print of your ticket.
• Call the airline ahead of your flight.
• Turn notifications on for flight updates.
• Come up with a plan B in case of delays or cancellations.

Wilson, who has now decided to stay home for the holidays, advises fellow travelers to exercise extra patience during this challenging time.

“Try to plan ahead — well ahead, more than usual. Try to get to the airport early. Keep checking your flights for those ones that might be changed at the last minute or canceled,” Wilson said.

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• Updated: Nov. 11, 2025, 12:01 p.m.
• |Published: Nov. 11, 2025, 12:00 p.m.

MILWAUKEE — City leaders and advocates came together on Monday to call attention to World Day of Remembrance for Traffic Victims in Milwaukee. 

One of those victims is 22-year-old Chloe Handrich. She said she remembers her accident like it was yesterday.

“I was struck by a fast-moving vehicle that ran through police barricades and then hit me and my friend, Sam,” recalled Handrich. “I was thrown about 25 feet from the place of impact and suffered really life-altering injuries”

Handrich’s injuries included multiple shattered bones and damaged organs. She said she still feels pain from the incident every day.

Handrich and others are turning pain into advocacy for the World Day of Remembrance.

“Standing with a group of people who all support each other and want to come to different conclusions of how to stop vehicular violence in the city [has] been a really healing process for me … I know that I can’t go back and the crash can’t be undone, but hopefully we can come together and make a difference,” Handrich said.

Milwaukee Mayor Cavalier Johnson said the city has heard, loud and clear, the calls to reduce reckless driving incidents.

Traffic-related deaths decreased by 7% from 2023 to 2024, according to the mayor’s office.

“I want to use every single tool that’s available to us in order to take on this challenge, so that the folks behind me and families out there, in Milwaukee and in the surrounding area, do not have to suffer the consequences that some of these folks have suffered, either personally or people that they care about,” said Johnson.

Advocates said resources for victims and healing activities will be available at a Saturday event: World Day of Remembrance for Victims of Traffic Violence. The event is on Nov. 15 from 1 to 4 p.m. at the Century City Tower Building at 4201 N. 27th Street in Milwaukee.

Taffie Foster-Toney of the Coalition for Safe Driving MKE said the goal of Remembrance Day is to help stop further traffic deaths and injuries in the city.

“To help highlight the issues, inspire change and support impacted families, we want everyone to attend to support these families,” said Foster-Toney. ”These families are going to be experiencing lifelong trauma.“

Handrich said she hopes it will help save lives, so others do not have to go through what she did.

“I’ve created a really large community, and I feel a lot of support, which has been really great for my healing and also just making wiser decisions on the road. Hopefully, they can come together and stop reckless driving and drunk driving and those things that are claiming a lot of lives and or creating very big bodily harm.”