Travelers face cancellations and frustration as the FAA orders flight cuts due to the shutdown

Hundreds of flight cancellations spread across the U.S. on Friday as airlines began complying with the Federal Aviation Administration ‘s (FAA) unprecedented order to scale down routes nationwide because of the government shutdown.

While the FAA order left some passengers scrambling to figure out backup plans, most travelers were relieved to find their planes were still on schedule as the airlines slowly phased in reductions at the nation’s busiest airports.

The 40 airports selected for the slowdown by the FAA span more than two dozen states and include hubs such as Atlanta, Dallas, Denver, Los Angeles, and Charlotte, North Carolina, according to the order.

More than 800 flights were called off nationwide — four times the number canceled Thursday, according to FlightAware, a w