More than a THOUSAND flights canceled with number rising fast as White House begins axing 4% of departures from busiest airports - live

Airports across America are grinding to a halt with delays mounting and more than 1,000 flights cancelled this morning. The Federal Aviation Administration's unprecedented order to scale back flights nationwide took effect this morning as the longest government shutdown in US history continues. The FAA said the reductions would start at 4 percent today and ramp up to 10 percent by Friday next week. The reductions will impact all commercial air carriers. Airlines scrambled to meet travels demands and began canceling flights overnight in anticipation of the FAA's order, leaving some passengers anxious to learn whether their trips will go forward at all. The FAA cutback will impact 40 airports nationwide including in airline hubs such as Atlanta, Dallas, Denver, Los Angeles and Charlotte, as well as major metropolitan areas like New York, Houston, Chicago and Washington DC. More than 1,100 flights were called off before 8am today, according to the latest flight tracking data. More than 9,800 delays have also been recorded.