"I saw (Tuesday), so I was a bit nervous about it. On our end, there's really nothing we can do but kind of just play it by ear," Amber Mendez said.
According to FlightAware, on Tuesday, more than a hundred flights were delayed at Bush because of the ground stop.
Aviation experts told ABC13 that it takes dozens of federal workers, like air traffic controllers, to help planes take off and land safely.
"If you are missing air traffic controllers, it can affect large swaths across the U.S.," Sam Sweeney said.
But with the government shutdown, that's been a challenge since the lack of federal funding forced air traffic controllers to work without pay.
Now, Transportation Security Sean Duffy has said airports are seeing many call out sick, leaving them short-staffed.
But when you hear "ground stop," what does that actually mean?
"When they are short air traffic controllers, either in the tower or a nearby air traffic control facility, they will slow the traffic in and out of the Houston area or other cities around the country, and that is what a ground stop is labeled," Sweeney said.
Experts went on to say there's no telling how long a ground stop can last, but it can stretch to three to four hours. They say the concern is that if workers keep calling out sick, air traffic could come to a stop at some airports.
"On some nights at Newark airport, there are just three controllers working. If those controllers call out sick and they can't get replacements either right away or at all, they would have to shut down that airspace," Sweeney said.
As the shutdown lingers, experts urge people to be able to adjust on the fly.
"It's possible everything could be smooth next week. We just don't know. If you're planning to travel, make sure you're flexible and that you have backup options," Sweeney said.
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