Flight cancellations accelerate as US airlines comply with shutdown order to cut flights

U.S. airlines began canceling flights nationwide Thursday due to the Federal Aviation Administration’s order to reduce traffic at the country’s busiest airports starting Friday because of the government shutdown.

Hundreds of flights scheduled for Friday were already cut at some of the 40 busiest airports, and the number of cancellations climbed throughout Thursday afternoon.

At least 445 flights have already been canceled on Friday, according to www.FlightAware.com. That’s more than four times higher than the number of flights cancelled Thursday.

THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. AP’s earlier story follows below.

U.S. airlines prepared to phase in hundreds of flight cuts at the country’s busiest airports starting Friday, including those in New York, Los Angeles, Dallas and Chicago, due t