More than 3,500 flights were canceled nationwide on Friday, including over 100 in Chicago, under the Federal Aviation Administration's directive to cut back flights as the result of the government shutdown.

Mandated flight reductions took effect at dozens of airports nationwide, including Midway and O'Hare, two days after the FAA announced an emergency order to reduce air traffic by 10% across 40 “high-volume” airports. Federal officials maintained the move was necessary to provide relief to air traffic controllers, who have been working for more than a month without getting paid.

As of Friday afternoon, 90 flights had been cancelled at O'Hare, according to FlightAware.com, the flight-tracking website. Midway reported an additional 18 cancellations.

Flight delay and cancellation dat

See Full Page