GREENVILLE, Wis. (WFRV) – While the government shutdown is causing some staffing delays at airports across the country, officials here in northeast Wisconsin say things are running smoothly, for now.
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Appleton International Airport (ATW) Director Abe Weber said thus far that the airport has not experienced changes due to the government shutdown:
“Fortunately, at ATW, we are not seeing any effect or any delays associated with the government shutdown,” Weber said. “All of our TSA personnel here are essential workers, so they are continuing to show up and provide the public with a safe passage through the checkpoint.”
According to Weber, ATW has over 100 federal employees; however, they have not experienced pay delays, but that could change soon.
“To my understanding, they haven’t missed a paycheck yet, but there could be an upcoming pay period that is missed because of the government shutdown,” Weber said.
For now, operations remain according to schedule, but travelers at the airport said they are keeping an eye on what could happen if the government shutdown continues.
“It would worry me then if this keeps going on…everybody travels by plane now, and everybody wants to get there as soon as they can,” Carla Fuller of Arizona said.
Fuller said that it could be chaotic if it continues into the holiday season.
“With the holidays coming up, it’s going to be a big deal if this keeps going,” Fuller said.
Other travelers, like Jim Wayne, said being able to travel is essential for daily life.
“Transportation is an important part of the economy and the American way of life,” Wayne said.
He said he hopes the government shutdown ends before travel gets more disrupted.
“The longer this extends out, the more pain and anxiety this is going to create for a lot of people,” Wayne said.
Weber warns travelers to stay prepared, even though ATW has not yet seen ripple effects from delays at other airports.
“As far as what we are hearing and seeing right now, we have not seen the delays in down-leg airports, but that certainly is a possibility,” Weber said.
Weber added that travelers should monitor online to ensure that their trips are on time as usual, but especially right now.
“It’s always good to keep an eye on your air carrier website, use your app, get yourself mobile ready so that if there are delays or cancellations, just like in any travel experience outside of a government shutdown, you can be first notified through your airline app,” Weber said.
ATW officials said they are monitoring the situation closely as the government shutdown continues.
