More than 2,700 domestic flights were cancelled in the United States on Sunday, as the country's transport secretary warned air traffic across the nation would "slow to a trickle" if the federal government shutdown lingered into the busy Thanksgiving travel season.

The slowdown at 40 of the nation's busiest airports worsened for the third day in a row, with the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) ordering the cancellations after some air traffic controllers, who had gone unpaid for nearly a month, did not show up for work.

In addition, nearly 10,000 flight delays were reported on Sunday alone, according to FlightAware, a website that tracks air travel disruptions.

More than 1,000 flights were cancelled on Friday, and more than 1,500 on Saturday.

The FAA reductions for commercial airl

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