CWA Director Brian Grefe. MWC file photo.
MOSINEE, WI (WSAU) — Travelers at the Central Wisconsin Airport found themselves grounded just like the rest of the country on Wednesday when the FAA’s Notice to Air Missions system went down.
Airport Director Brian Grefe says that occurred on top of some freezing rain in the area, making for a hectic morning for his staff. “It was a busy morning, to say the least. But with our snow removal crew and the talented folks at the airlines, we got things open as quickly as we could.”
He says because CWA is a smaller facility they were able to quickly clear out the congestion. No passenger flights were canceled and just two flights were delayed. But not everyone was as lucky. Airports that were hit the hardest by cancelations and delays included Chicago O’Hare, Denver, Charlotte, and New York LaGuardia. A total of 9,200 flights were delayed, and some 1,300 were canceled.
But Grefe says given the fact that they were able to get everyone in the air quickly, he doesn’t expect that many travelers had issues once they left CWA. “Those planes were also grounded. I imagine everyone got where they needed to be, just at a later time.”
The Notice to Air Missions system alerts pilots to possible obstacles such as debris or construction on runways. It remains unclear what caused the system to crash, and government officials are promising an investigation.
Grefe differed further comment on the issue to the FAA but says his staff was able to take care of all passengers and make the best of the situation. “We’ve put a lot of emphasis on customer relations, guest service, and making sure our guests are comfortable; making sure the facility is clean. Today was no exception to that.
“We wanted to make sure while it was very inconvenient for people that were traveling today, they had as good of an experience as possible,” added Grefe.
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