11/04/2025
Tips for those worried about flying soon (from someone in the same boat as you, travels often, and used to work at an airport):
Have a back-up plan.
It's the small hopper flights that are being canceled first. If you have a longer flight (and even better if its full), you may just be looking at delays.
Arrive early no matter what and check those times! You can see TSA wait times (they change in a second though so don't rely solely on that) and current flight delays. Check BOTH your arriving and departing airports! This will give you at least an idea of the mess you'll be heading into.
Know that they do NOT have to compensate you! This is considered a "beyond our control" situation so you will likely just get flight credits. It sucks but not getting into politics here.
Be kind. It isn't an ideal situation for anyone and kindness will just make it all a teensy bit better. It will also help your blood pressure though finding people to vent to is also cathartic.
Some airlines are getting ahead of it and canceling early. Also note that delays affect time for the flight crew - they can only be on the clock for so many hours, REGARDLESS if they are sitting in a lounge or in the cockpit, and it COULD so happen that there isn't another pilot available on standby.
Above all else, note that the delays are for your safety. A person in that tower can only be responsible for so much and right now they have no guarantee they will be paid - limiting flights just means they are only dealing with as much as they can safely control (and accidents can happen at any level).
Hope this is all for peace of mind and that you need none of this... but here it is anyway! Enjoy the excitement leading up to that trip and I hope your journey is most uneventful. 😉