HELENA — The FAA has lifted flight restrictions for 40 major airports in the United States that were implemented during the nation's longest government shutdown. The restrictions impacted thousands of flights, causing ripple effects across the country and even being felt in Helena.
“I'm very relieved, I'm relieved there are no issues,” said Valerie Hellermann, a Helena Regional Airport passenger flying out of the country.
Citing safety concerns, the FAA issued an unprecedented order to reduce air traffic as staffing shortages with air traffic controllers grew. Helena didn’t face staffing issues itself, but all of the major airports Helena connects to were impacted.
“When they would get to the hubs, sometimes if a flight was delayed, they might miss their connection,” said Helena regional airport director Jeff Wadekamper. “Or if the flight was preemptively canceled prior to that, then they might have to get rebooked on a different aircraft.”
Helena saw four cancellations during the flight restrictions and a few delays, which had passengers flying into and out of Helena a bit worried.
Hellermann heads Hands On Global, which helps refugees and international humanitarian efforts. The non-profit is heading to Ukraine to deliver medical supplies.
“There was a lot of anxiety because I'm meeting my medical team in Krakow, Poland,” Hellermann said. “It would have been a disaster if we couldn’t get out as scheduled.”
Other passengers told MTN they were unsure if their travel would be impacted, or how far in advance it they would need to plan.
“Well, we thought that we may have to rebook a second flight,” said passenger James Gould. “Luckily, it never got to that, so we're grateful.”
"During [the shutdown], we would have a lot of questions from folks who would call and ask what we were seeing and hearing,” Wadekamper said. “Cause I think that, rightfully so, people were concerned, should they be making different plans?”
As travelers voiced their frustrations, the situation also hit federal airport employees, who are still waiting for their paychecks. Wadekamper says TSA workers have continued to show up and keep things running, helping passengers get where they need to go.
“You know, I have to give them credit. They all stayed in great spirits. They all had remaining smiles on their faces, they were friendly, they continued to do their job,” Wadekamper said.
