(CNN) — Airline passengers were already looking at higher fares and packed planes this holiday season. But the holiday headaches might get much worse as the government shutdown causes flight reductions at major airports.

The Trump administration is reducing traffic at 40 airports across the United States starting Friday as long as the shutdown continues. Airlines have already canceled upcoming flights, though it’s hard to say how long those cutbacks will last.

“They’re doing that because we don’t know how long this is going to last and they’re not going to go and take out flights automatically that they don’t necessarily need to,” travel industry expert Zach Griff said. “That’s going to cause a lot more stress for travelers, but there really isn’t a better way to do it. Still, it is

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