US cuts over 1,000 flights due to shutdown, with Thanksgiving just weeks away

More than 1,000 flights were cancelled across the US on Friday after the Trump administration ordered reductions to ease strain on air traffic controllers working without pay amid a federal government shutdown.

Forty airports were slated for the cuts, including major hubs in Atlanta, Newark, Denver, Chicago, Houston and Los Angeles.

With Republicans and Democrats in a bitter stand-off, particularly over health insurance subsidies, federal agencies have been grinding to halt since funding lapsed on October 1.

Many government employees, including vital airport staff, are either working without pay or furloughed at home, waiting for the now nearly six-week crisis to end.

The flight reductions are taking effect gradually, starting at 4 per cent and rising to 10 per cent next week if Congress still hasn’t reached a funding deal.

More than 1,000 flights scheduled for Friday were cancelled, according to tracking website FlightAware.