US flight cancellations accelerate as airlines comply with government shutdown order

U.S. airlines began canceling hundreds of flights 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.

Nearly 500 flights scheduled for Friday were already cut nationwide, and the number of cancellations climbed throughout Thursday afternoon, according to FlightAware, a website that tracks flight disruptions.

That’s more than four times the number of flights canceled on Thursday.

The FAA has ordered airlines to phase in a 10% reduction in their flight schedules at 40 of the busiest airports across more than two dozen states. The disruptions will affect service at many smaller airports, too, and on Thursday some travelers began changing or canceling their itineraries preempt