Passengers at Chicago Midway International Airport continued to face travel delays and disruptions after a nationwide ground shutdown was lifted by the Federal Aviation Administration, although many expressed relief as operations began to return to normal.
According to FlightAware, more than 170 flights at Midway were delayed at some point during the disruption, with wait times approaching 90 minutes. Even after the ground stop ended, some travelers had to wait for long hours to collect their luggage.
Standing near the baggage claim area, passengers who had been forced to land at Midway during the nationwide disruptions waited to collect their belongings and continue their journey. One passenger said airport officials told them it could take hours before bags were available.
Airport operations gradually resumed as travelers passed through security checkpoints and headed for delayed departures.
“We hope our flight is still on time. The fact that it wasn’t on time hasn’t changed,” one traveler said.
Earlier in the day, planes remained grounded for hours while passengers remained in the terminal waiting for updates.
“They’re saying they’re not accepting any checked bags right now, which is probably for the best in case of a cancellation. It’ll probably be chaotic getting everyone’s stuff back after that,” said Khy Sline, a Midway passenger traveling to Atlanta.
Jeremy Lancaster, a passenger bound for Georgia, said he didn’t realize there was a problem until he arrived at the airport.
“I actually didn’t find out until I was getting in. I went to the counter on my flight, and they told me they weren’t checking in and I was like, ‘Oh, that’s strange.’ And I kept looking around. People were standing still and I was like, ‘Something’s wrong,'” Lancaster said.
Midway is the only airport in Chicago served by Southwest Airlines. The airline said in a statement that it was working closely with the FAA while trying to reduce the impact on customers.
Despite the delays and uncertainty, some travelers said patience was the best response to the situation.
“There’s no need to even get angry, explode, none of that. Just be patient because you had the chance to… you know what I’m saying? We’re still here. If we had been in the air and something went wrong. Just be patient,” said Jasean McMillon, a passenger traveling to Los Angeles.
Some passengers who missed their flights said they planned to spend the night in nearby hotels, while others opted to drive to their destinations while Midway worked through the disruption.
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