LOS ANGELES >> Sandra Pleites has been looking forward to visiting her sister for months, trading in the crisp New Jersey weather for a sun-soaked trip with her kids to San Diego.

Once a year, one side of the family hops on a flight and jets out to the other coast to spend some quality time together. Pleites booked an Airbnb for herself, her fiancé and her two children, secured a rental car and was busy planning an itinerary of activities.

But the government shutdown threw her — and thousands of other travelers — a massive curveball this week.

As of this morning, more than 1,000 flights had already been canceled, according to Flight Aware, and the situation was set to get much worse.

The Federal Aviation Administration announced Thursday that it planned to cut air traffic by 10% at 40

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