It’s been a long few days for Africa Hood, from Cincinnati.

Her flight from Detroit was delayed, making her miss her connection from Boston to Long Island.

She’s one of many travelers who have had their flights delayed or canceled due to the government shutdown.

“The short staffing is going to cause further delays," said pilot Vincent Aprea.

Aprea has been a pilot for 25 years.

He says with air traffic controllers leaving work during the government shutdown, he estimates delayed flights will continue to plague flyers making plans for Thanksgiving.

“It’s unfortunately going to last probably closer to 14 days maybe even into the holidays," he said.

Aprea says even a smaller airport, like Long Island MacArthur, is being impacted, as it shares airspace with the bigger New York City airports.

For the holidays, Aprea says make sure to monitor your flight closely in the days before you leave.

If your flight’s departure time keeps getting changed, there’s a high probability the flight will be delayed leaving the gate.

News 12 reached out to the FAA asking how may flights at MacArthur Airport have been affected by the government shutdown and is waiting to hear back.