The federal government shutdown has been impacting air traffic control across the country, first affecting dozens of high-traffic airports nationwide.
But now, those effects are trickling down to smaller airports that are now also seeing significant delays with no end in sight.
It was a long wait for passengers trying to get to Phoenix on Monday, expecting to take off from the Stockton Metropolitan Airport after 12:30 p.m. in California's Central Valley. That flight didn't end up leaving until 2:30 p.m.
That was a similar case for people trying to get to Las Vegas who also experienced a nearly two-hour delay.
Richard Sokol, the airport director, told CBS Sacramento it's not an air traffic control issue in Stockton, but rather a Phoenix and Las Vegas issue that's having a trickle-down effect, impacting small airports.
The airports in Phoenix and Las Vegas are among 40 affected by the Federal Aviation Administration's plan to cut airline capacity due to the ongoing government shutdown.
For Stockton's airport, which only sees roughly 13 flights a week, having any delay causes issues.
"We're busiest on Mondays and Fridays," Sokol explained. "Fridays, we typically have three flights a day. Not a lot of frequency. When one flight out of 13 a week is delayed, that's a large percentage of our activity."
Sokol also mentioned two new factors he hasn't seen before since the government shutdown. One of them is that larger airports have more organized delays through the Notice to Airmen System, a safety tool that provides information about changes to the National Airspace System.
The second factor is new restrictions on busier airports for non-scheduled flights. Previously, the air traffic control system was first-come, first-served. Now, different types of operations are getting preference.
"I think you should be prepared to have a normal flight but also be prepared to be delayed and to bring an ounce of patience with you," he said. "We'll do the best we can to bring you to your destination on time and safely. Just like it's your goal, it's our goal as well."
More flights are scheduled to take off again on Friday.
Sokol said that even if the shutdown is lifted in the coming days, he still expects those flights at the end of the week will also experience delays.
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