Flight cancellations hit MSP Airport as government shutdown continues

Flight cuts begin as government shutdown continues

Travelers are starting to see a trickle of canceled and delayed domestic flights due to cuts mandated by the Federal Aviation Administration. FOX 9's Bill Keller has the latest with a live report from Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport.

MINNEAPOLIS (FOX 9) - Flight cancellations are hitting Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport (MSP) as the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) orders commercial airlines to begin cutting their flight schedules.

Flight delays and cancellations 

Big picture view:

The FAA says the drastic step is necessary to ensure safe travel given the shortage of air traffic controllers, who have been working without pay since the government shutdown started Oct. 1.

These mandatory flight reductions are hitting the country's 40 busiest airports, which includes MSP. The Twin Cities metro airport handles about 840 commercial flights a day, so by the time the 10% reduction is in place, MSP will be dealing with about 84 canceled flights every day.

However, reductions at other airports could cause a ripple effect that could bring additional delays and cancellations.

READ MORE: FAA's order to reduce flights at airports amid shutdown is in effect. What we know

The number of canceled flights is being phased in, with only 4% of domestic flights set to be cut on Friday, Nov. 7. International travel is not expected to be impacted at this time. On Tuesday, the number of canceled flights will jump to 6%, increasing each day until the full 10% drop in air traffic control by Friday, Nov. 14. 

Airlines will decide which flights to cancel while trying to minimize the impact on passengers. 

How airlines and passengers are responding

What they're saying:

MSP is a hub for Delta, and the airline says it will work to give customers as much notice as possible about any changes to their flights. The company adds that it offers flexible options to change, cancel, or refund flights. 

However, the uncertainty is already giving some travelers anxiety.

"Well, we had it booked for over a year but with the circumstances going on I was nervous," said Stevie Rice, who was flying to Miami from MSP on Friday morning. "But fortunately, our plane is one time, it wasn't canceled, so we are on track."

So far, hundreds of flights have been called off nationwide, according to flight tracking site FlightAware.

Meanwhile, air travelers with weekend plans can only sit and wait to learn if their flights will take off as scheduled. And airlines are planning to cancel flights into the weekend, telling passengers to check apps to learn their flight status.