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Stuck in Milwaukee - Airplane Travel 2026

One of the perks of retirement is the ability to travel, especially during less crowded times. Many fellow Villagers take trips, visit new parts of the world, see family, attend special events, or join a Pasadena Village trip.

Recently my family of three took a trip to Milwaukee. It was mid-March and we visited our daughter, currently living in South Africa, who was there for a convention. With some planning and foresight, we were able to arrive in Milwaukee smoothly. Our return trip proved to be much more of a challenge. I am sharing some of what we experienced and learned in the hope it will be helpful to other travelers.

As we planned for our trip, our major travel concerns were weather and TSA delays. Later, that concern would also include the addition of ICE agents at airports. 

First, we could not fly directly to Milwaukee and had to use a hub airport and take two flights. We opted for Burbank – Dallas – Milwaukee, ruling out Chicago due to possible weather. Apparently direct flights are getting harder and harder to find.

We were leaving Pasadena in 85 degree weather and flying into 20-50 degree weather with some snow on the ground and wind chill. We opted for layers of clothing with fleece jackets and puffer coats, hats, and gloves. Having a connecting flight raised the concern of getting stranded, so we opted to take a carry-on with extra changes of clothing, minimal toiletries, and some simple snacks. We also packed the puffa coats in another carry-on, to make sure we would be able to bundle up once we arrived.

We arrived, had a wonderful visit, toured Milwaukee, and then began our journey home.

Our return flight was Sunday afternoon, and we were to arrive in Burbank at 9:00 p.m. 

We finally made it home Tuesday noon, after multiple delays. On Sunday, we waited over 4 hours in the plane in Milwaukee and then waited additional time in the gate area before the flight was cancelled due to mechanical (hydraulics) problems. Unloading the luggage was even delayed. We were issued a hotel voucher and three $12 vouchers for food (only good at the airport where everything was closed).

On Monday we again attempted to fly home. Our stress had risen a bit since it was the first day of deploying ICE agents to airports. No problem with TSA; then back to the waiting area. This time we waited over 3 hours in the gate area due to another mechanical problem: a jammed tray that would not retract, blocking the emergency exit.

This flight was eventually cancelled as well. Back to an equally unimpressive hotel near the airport and UBER Eats.

On Tuesday we opted for the 6:00 a.m. flight and once again made our way through TSA to the gate area. We boarded on time and then sat for 40 minutes while the “fuel tanks were topped off.” Luckily the pilot made up most of the delay and we landed in Dallas with just enough time to make it onto our connecting flight. During this flight we ate some of the snack items we had packed originally. We were in the very back row, no recline, toilet whooshing in our ears every few minutes. To top it off, some extra flight attendants were aboard, so a crowded galley made for several hours of loud conversation about their duties and unhappiness with working conditions.

Needless to say, we were very glad to arrive back in Burbank.

It appears travel issues and delays have become more common. Travel & Leisure reports that “in 2025, 248 million US passengers experienced flight disruptions.”  These disruptions cost an average of $484.19 per person. More than 50% of passengers reported delays lasting over 2 hours. 61% of passengers ultimately arrive late. 10% of passengers had delays that lasted more than 8 hours.

Some hints for air travel in 2026.

Plan ahead and anticipate possible problems.

Take some snacks with you. Our flights were 2+ and 3+ hours (connecting flights on the same airline) and we were only offered a small package of cookies and a drink on each flight. If connections are tight, you may not have time to eat in the airport.

A spare set of underwear, socks, and a shirt are great to put in your carry-on. Also include some basic toiletries and any necessary medications – and some extra days of these.

Download relevant apps on your phone – the airline, information on TSA wait times, etc. Update and make sure apps with payment such as LYFT have current credit card information and you have all the relevant passwords.

Print out flight information and boarding passes whenever possible and don’t throw these out until you get home. Don’t rely on your phone in case you don’t have an opportunity to recharge your battery. If you get stranded or have to reschedule, you’ll most likely need this information quickly. During our two days of flights cancelling, we rescheduled our two flights many, many times. 

Sharing from Barbara Madden, a Village member who lost her phone while traveling, she said, “Be sure you also have a physical list of important phone numbers. She also shared, “One can get a taxi at an airport if unable to summon Lyft or Uber on your phone.”

A battery charger for your phone and/or tablet is helpful, just be sure it is ok by the TSA rules. https://www.tsa.gov/travel/security-screening/whatcanibring/items/power-banks

TSA wants to see your real ID/Driver’s License and/or passport and boarding pass. Double check that you have a Real ID/Driver’s License – gold California bear in the upper right corner. If not, bring your passport. Otherwise, there is a $49 fee charged for travel and this lasts for a week. You will need to look into a photo camera as the person checks your ID. Have all items ready as you get to the head of the line. We observed the TSA pre-check lines being shorter, and all TSA waiting times were short 5 – 20 minutes.

There are some websites where you can check TSA wait times. MyTSA.gov is good but was not being updated during the shutdown. You can also download the TSA app to your smartphone.

Make sure to have UBER and/or LYFT on your phone, updated with current credit cards. When you are traveling, you may get stranded somewhere. Ed Mervine, one of our Village members, was dropped off the Metro at the next station during the original ICE protests. He had to update UBER and credit card information before he could request a ride. 

Also good to know how to order UBER Eats or some other food delivery app. Both evenings we were directed to airport area motels with no restaurants and didn’t want to go out in freezing weather to seek out dinner. 

If you encounter any delays and/or cancellations – keep all receipts in case you are able to request compensation later. 

Before you go, consider what you would need to do at home if you get delayed. I left two extra days of food with our dog when we dropped her off. We had the contact information needed to reschedule or cancel commitments we had. I have come to the conclusion that the emergency preparedness that we do for our homes also translates into doing preparedness as well for travel. Prepare for outages, use technology for alerts and other information, carry some emergency supplies with you. 

We were lucky to have planned for some of the eventualities that we encountered.  With the current state of air travel, I hope sharing these experiences, along with some suggestions, will make things a bit smoother for you in case you need them.  And better yet, I hope you don’t need them!