WASHINGTON - The head of the Federal Aviation Administration said that travelers will have fewer flight options within the U.S. starting Friday as the agency imposes schedule cuts at dozens of major airports to ease the strain on air traffic controllers during the record-long government shutdown.

The head of the FAA said the move is unprecedented but necessary to keep people safe as staffing shortages and unpaid work increasingly take a toll on the controllers.

Air traffic controllers working overtime without paychecks

Why you should care:

Most air traffic controllers worked six days a week and put in mandatory overtime even before the shutdown , but they have been doing so without paychecks as lawmakers fail to agree on a way to reopen the government.

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