Milwaukee travelers abandon flights for rental cars as government shutdown disrupts air travel nationwide

MILWAUKEE — Flight delays and cancellations continue to impact Milwaukee travelers as the longest government shutdown in U.S. history affects air travel nationwide

Travelers at Milwaukee's Mitchell International Airport are turning to rental cars and alternative transportation as flight disruptions ripple across the country.

While Milwaukee is not among the 40 airports seeing direct flight reductions mandated by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), the domino effect is still being felt locally.

Milwaukee passengers ditch flights for rental cars amid shutdown

On Monday alone, more than 5,000 flights were canceled nationwide with 17,000 delays reported.

Lines at ticket counters began forming at Mitchell International as dozens of flights faced cancellations and delays. Between Fri