GREENVILLE, WI (WTAQ-WLUK) — Traveler Christian Howard says he has been stranded in various airports for the past couple days and is still unsure of how he is getting home to Denver.
“I ended up paying a local up there about $280 to drive me down from Hancock, Michigan, to this airport today,” says Howard.
He was supposed to be boarding at 8 a.m. Monday and then was delayed for an hour. Passengers on his plane then had to disembark due to mechanical issues.
“Now we have absolutely no answer on when we will go out,” Howard says.
Not only are these delays frustrating but they can also be detrimental.
“I just started a new job about three weeks ago and now I am three days later than I am supposed to be at home and I’m on the verge of losing my job,” says Howard.
He told us he may have to drive a rental car about 16 hours home.
Airport Director Abe Weber at The Appleton International Airport says there are various reasons why this is happening nationwide.
“There’s a couple of things we are seeing: The airline industry, like every other industry across the United States, is struggling with staffing and staff shortages. Weather is also a reason; you see a lot of pop-up thunderstorms in the summertime that cause flights to cancel or delay,” says Weber.
Weber says Appleton is lucky it’s not seen quite as many cancellations as other airports.
Track flights to and from Northeast Wisconsin:
“A lot of the flight cancellations look like they are localized to the coasts, I don’t know if its more congested airports out there but we like to think that Appleton is easier to get in and out of,” Weber said.
Other people at the Appleton International Airport said they have been choosing direct flights on purpose.
