Airlines Cancel Hundreds of Flights Amid Shutdown

It's not a great day to be flying, and the snarls may not ease up for awhile. Air travelers across the country faced mounting disruptions Friday as the FAA's order to scale back flights amid the shutdown took effect, reports the Washington Post.

• The flight-tracking website FlightAware logged more than 800 canceled flights so far Friday, and more than 500 cancellations are in place for Saturday.
• The FAA estimated 4% of daily flights would be canceled at 40 airports, per the New York Times. For now, most of the impact will fall on smaller regional routes, though the ripple effects are expected to be felt throughout the system. The percentage of canceled flights is supposed to increase through next week should the shutdown continue.

• United, Delta, and American say international flights should not be affected, but regional carriers and Alaska Airlines are shifting service away from busier routes to maintain access to remote communities.
• "While it is sudden, it is definitely not chaotic," David Kinzelman, United's chief customer officer, tells the Times.
• The FAA says the step is about safety, not politics, citing warning signs about air-traffic-controller fatigue as the shutdown drags into a second month. Controllers and other key aviation staff are working without pay and preparing to miss a second paycheck.
• One big question is whether the disruptions will continue through the busy Thanksgiving travel week.