TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (WTXL) — Tasha Pizarro, owner of Momma P's Ice Cream, and her family finally arrived in Tallahassee after she says they were stuck in Arizona due to multiple flight delays and a cancellation caused by the ongoing government shutdown.
- The FAA ordered major airports to reduce flights by 10% by Nov. 14th as air traffic controllers go without pay.
- Since then, more than 8,000 flights “within, into or out of the United States” have been canceled, and more than 30,000 flights have been delayed, according to FlightAware.
- Watch the video below to hear how she and her family got back to Tallahassee.
BROADCAST TRANSCRIPT:
Can you imagine being stranded in a completely different state?
Well, for one small business owner in Tallahassee, it became a reality turned nightmare.
Owner of Momma P’s Ice Cream, Tasha Pizarro, and her family were trapped in Phoenix, Arizona, after their flight was canceled because of the ongoing government shutdown.
“We were in Phoenix last week for an ice cream convention,” Pizarro said. “We didn't fly out until Saturday, and when we got to the airport, like around 10 o'clock that morning, we had already seen that, you know, flights on the board were canceled or delayed.”
“When did you realize you weren’t coming home anytime soon?” ABC 27’s Brieanna Smith asked.
“I think as soon as we got the second delay,” she said. “We all knew, but no one wanted to really admit it.”
Now that Pizarro’s finally home, ABC 27 talked to her about her experience.
She’s since had to spend $600 on hotel stays and food while away.
“That was, you know, lost revenue, and being a small business owner, you know, I wasn't expecting those extra expenses,” she said.
But her story speaks to larger impacts being seen across the country.
Data from FlightAware shows more than 8,000 flights “within, into or out of the United States” have been canceled and more than 30,000 were delayed, following an order from the FAA to reduce flights by 10% at major airports by Nov. 14th, and as air traffic controllers go unpaid.
ABC 27 looked at local impacts at Tallahassee International Airport Monday.
Six flights have been canceled since Friday, and one was canceled on Monday.
“At this time, like I say, we continue to monitor it on a daily basis. We stay in close contact with our stakeholders, our partners, our airline partners, as we continue to move ahead and receive information out of Washington that may impact airports and or airlines,” Tallahassee International Airport Aviation Director David Pollard said Monday.
There could be some relief on the horizon as the U.S. Senate has reached a deal to fund the government until January 30th.
The House could vote on this as soon as Wednesday, according to Scripps News.
As for Pizarro, she set on recovering the funds she used from her business to get home and getting back to normal.
“I got to get back to work. Tomorrow, I’ve got to, you know, go out, start selling ice cream again,” she said.
As of Tuesday, about 1,890 flights were canceled.
Pizarro’s advice for anyone that finds themselves in the same situation is to stay positive and stay informed.
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