FAA flight reductions: Cuts tied to shutdown begin being phased in at 40 busy airports

WASHINGTON — U.S. airlines began cutting hundreds of flight s at the country’s busiest airports this week due to the government shutdown .

The 40 airports selected by the FAA span more than two dozen states and include hubs such as Atlanta, Dallas, Denver, Los Angeles and Charlotte, North Carolina, according to the agency's order, which was published Thursday evening. In some metropolitan areas, including New York, Houston, Chicago and Washington, multiple airports will be impacted.

The impact is likely to be felt far beyond the targeted places.

More than 960 flights were canceled nationwide Friday, according to FlightAware . Delta Air Lines said it would scratch roughly 170 flights Friday, and American Airlines planned to cut 220 a day through Monday.

The FAA said the reductio