American Airlines announced it will cut about 220 flights each day from Friday, Nov. 7 through Monday, Nov. 10 in a statement provided to USA TODAY as part of the first wave of restrictions imposed by transportation officials.

The announcement comes after Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said Nov. 5 that 40 major airports will see a 10% cut in flights. Duffy had previously warned of staffing shortages among air traffic controllers across the United States amid the record-breaking government shutdown.

Federal Aviation Administration Administrator Bryan Bedford told CEOs of major airlines that the flight cuts would begin at a 4% reduction on Nov. 7, rise to 5% on Nov. 8 and 6% on Nov. 9 before hitting 10% next week. American Airlines said the 220-flight figure represents 4% of flights at the affected airports.

International flights not included, American Airlines says

International flights carried by American Airlines will not be included in the cuts, the company confirmed to USA TODAY.

The comply with the FAA's order, the airline said it is reducing the amount of trips available on some routes it commonly flies. For example, it reduced the amount of flights from Dallas-Fort Worth to San Antonio from 11 departures to 10, while Miami to Tampa departures were cut from 10 to eight.

American Airlines said roughly 12,000 of its 650,000 travelers had flights canceled on Nov. 7, the majority of which were rebooked or "reaccommodated."

The drastic plan to reduce flights sent airlines scrambling to cut flights in just 36 hours, and passengers flooded airline customer service hotlines with concerns about air travel in the coming days.

American Airlines has issued a travel waiver for the reduction period and said that customers who wish to change or cancel their flight can do so “without penalty.” Both United Airlines and Southwest Airlines have made similar offers.

The airline said in a previous statement that it expects “the vast majority” of its customers to be unaffected. It added Nov. 6 that it plans to operate around 6,000 daily flights following the cancellations.

USA TODAY has followed up with American Airlines to ask which routes will be impacted.

Where might American Airlines flights be cut?

Major airports in New York, Atlanta, Los Angeles and more are included in the list of sites facing flight reductions, according to the emergency order provided to USA TODAY late Nov. 6 by the U.S. Department of Transportation.

The airports named to face flight cuts are listed below:

  • Anchorage International (ANC)
  • Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International (ATL)
  • Boston Logan International (BOS)
  • Baltimore/Washington International (BWI)
  • Charlotte Douglas International (CLT)
  • Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International (CVG)
  • Dallas Love (DAL)
  • Ronald Reagan Washington National (DCA)
  • Denver International (DEN)
  • Dallas/Fort Worth International (DFW)
  • Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County (DTW)
  • Newark Liberty International (EWR)
  • Fort Lauderdale/Hollywood International (FLL)
  • Honolulu International (HNL)
  • Houston Hobby (HOU)
  • Washington Dulles International (IAD)
  • George Bush Houston Intercontinental (IAH)
  • Indianapolis International (IND)
  • New York John F. Kennedy International (JFK)
  • Las Vegas Harry Reid International (LAS)
  • Los Angeles International (LAX)
  • New York LaGuardia (LGA)
  • Orlando International (MCO)
  • Chicago Midway (MDW)
  • Memphis International (MEM)
  • Miami International (MIA)
  • Minneapolis/St. Paul International (MSP)
  • Oakland International (OAK)
  • Ontario International (ONT)
  • Chicago O’Hare International (ORD)
  • PorO’HareInternational (PDX)
  • Philadelphia International (PHL)
  • Phoenix Sky Harbor International (PHX)
  • San Diego International (SAN)
  • Louisville International (SDF)
  • Seattle/Tacoma International (SEA)
  • San Francisco International (SFO)
  • Salt Lake City International (SLC)
  • Teterboro (TEB)
  • Tampa International (TPA)

American Airlines called federal aviation workers who continue working without pay during the now record-breaking shutdown “unacceptable” and urged leaders in Washington to “reach an immediate resolution “to end the shutdown.”

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: American Airlines cuts 220 flights due to government shutdown

Reporting by James Powel, USA TODAY / USA TODAY

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