Fog traps travelers at Appleton Airport, forcing them to change their vacation plans

APPLETON (WLUK) — Poor visibility due to fog impacted airlines Thursday as travelers headed home after Christmas. The holiday hustle and bustle was in full swing at Appleton International Airport, but thick fog left many travelers stranded.

“It was an icy ride and it’s too foggy and our flight was delayed and now it’s canceled so now we’re stuck with five kids trying to figure out what we’re going to do,” Mike Miculinich said.

Miculinich and his family drove from Illinois to Appleton to get a cheaper flight to Florida and Disney World. But once they got to Appleton, it went back to the drawing board.

“I had five kids who were pretty upset, but we just had to reassure them that we were going to get through it,” Miculinich said.

That’s exactly what they did. You’ll get back in the car to Chicago O’Hare International Airport for a later flight. The combination of warm air and melting snow led to thick fog on Thursday, reducing pilots’ visibility.

Appleton International Airport told Fox 11 that about 60 to 70 percent of flights were able to take off while the rest remained grounded for the day.

“The airlines are really focused on safety, and if they feel that the flight cannot take off and land, they simply have to postpone the flight or ultimately cancel it,” said Abe Weber, director of Appleton International Airport.

Weber said it was bad timing because of the fog during one of their busiest weeks. They are recording a double-digit increase in passenger numbers compared to last Christmas. The cancellations changed many people’s plans, with some even staying an extra night in northeastern Wisconsin.

“We’re waiting for it to be canceled before we leave, but then of course if it’s canceled we’ll call the parents and we can have another night at home,” Evan Hunter said.

Hunter and his friends were visiting relatives in the area for Christmas but are trying to return to Bismarck, North Dakota. Unfortunately for them, their flight from Minneapolis earlier this week was also canceled due to fog, but they are trying to stay positive.

“Of course people are a little annoyed, but at the end of the day you have to realize there’s nothing we can do about it, it’s just the weather, Mother Nature,” said Ian Engel.

Appleton International Airport expects Friday and weekend to be even busier.