GREEN BAY (NBC 26) — On Friday, a federal ground stop affected airports nationwide, including at Austin Straubel International Airport in Green Bay. While the pause ended Friday night, visitors are still struggling to get home.
"I'm ready, I can't live in a suitcase anymore," Green Bay visitor Karen Barowsky said.
The ground stop from the FAA led to a hectic atmosphere inside the airport on Friday afternoon, before the stop was lifted later that night around 7:15 p.m. CST.
The ground stop lasted four hours and 21 minutes, after the FAA says an equipment outage disrupted radar feeds and communications.
While the Green Bay airport was quieter on Saturday, passengers say they're still dealing with problems.
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"We were not really sure what was going to happen," Green Bay visitor Cynthia Stark said.
"I don't know, I might be in an airport (hotel) for a night," Barowsky said.
Both Barowsky and Stark are from the Denver area, are were visiting their children in Northeast Wisconsin.
"It's been fun (and) tiring chasing after toddlers," Barowsky said about her grandchildren.
"(My husband and I) just did a quick trip to come and visit (our daughter)," Stark said.
While they were both scheduled to fly out Saturday, they say their connecting flights were delayed.
"They're telling you everything is changing on a dime, so you're like 'I'm not good,'" said Barowsky, whose connecting flight was to Minneapolis. "There's not a lot of flights between Green Bay and Denver. So, it's a struggle."
Stark says her connecting flight is through Chicago O'Hare International Airport, which FlightAware says is dealing with dozens of cancellations and delays.
"I guess things are going to move along like they usually do," Stark said. "We'll just work through the details until we're on that plane."
Barowsky understands the work put in by airport and airline workers across the nation.
"Breathe, just breathe," she said in a message to others at the airport. "We'll get to where we're going."
Transportation officials say they have no evidence that a cyberattack or an AI error played a role in the ground stop.
In a statement to NBC 26 Saturday morning, officials at Austin Straubel International Airport say that passengers "may continue to experience flight delays and are encouraged to contact their airlines directly for the latest flight information."
FAA Administrator Bryan Bedford adds that airlines are expected to return to their normal schedules by Sunday night.
