A dozen flights cancelled at PDX as feds order air traffic reduction

Airlines canceled a dozen flights to and from Portland International Airport on Friday as federal flight safety regulators ordered reductions amid the historic government shutdown.

The cancellations, many of them regional routes to cities such as Los Angeles, Sacramento and Seattle, came on the first day of a phased reduction by the Federal Aviation Administration that will cut air traffic by 10% in 40 so-called high-volume markets , including Portland. The agency is looking to maintain safety as air traffic controllers continue to work without pay during a federal government shutdown that began Oct. 1.

Still, it was not clear if every flight cancellation Friday by Alaska, Southwest, United and Delta, was a result of the FAA order.

Molly Prescott, a spokesperson for PDX operator Port