Major air traffic control staffing shortages snarled thousands of flights on Saturday as the government shutdown caused mounting travel woes and raised alarm among airline officials. The Federal Aviation Administration said there were air traffic control staffing issues affecting 42 airport towers and other centers and delaying flights in at least 12 major U.S. cities - including Atlanta, Newark, San Francisco, Chicago and New York. Flights crossing six different high-traffic areas were also facing delays.

Some 1,500 flights were canceled and 6,000 flights were delayed on Saturday, compared with Friday when 1,025 were canceled and 7,000 were delayed. Airline officials privately said the number of delay programs made it nearly impossible to schedule and plan many flights and expressed alar

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