Blanca Estrada
Reporting from Los Angeles International Airport

Image source, BBC / Blanca Estrada

After witnessing mounting delays at the airport in Chicago, I've arrived at Los Angeles International Airport in California.

Upon landing, the pilots on my flight announced that our plane would need to wait briefly on the runway, as no gates were available for incoming flights. After the announcement, a wave of anticipation spread through the cabin as passengers grew eager to finally step out off the plane.

When I disembarked, I was expecting to see crowds of people waiting by their respective gates, and long lines for security, especially since LAX was one of the 40 airports affected by the FAA's capacity cuts.

To my surprise, everything was calm and orderly. The TSA lines were regular, and the airport flow was much smoother than I anticipated.

Still, more snags are likely to develop in the coming days as the FAA's flight reduction directive remains in place and the Secretary of Transportation Sean Duffy warned earlier that the nation's flight capacity could be cut by up to 20% if the federal government shutdown continues for much longer.

After seeing nearly 5,500 delays and more than 1,000 cancellations at airports around the US today, we are pausing our live coverage of this story. But you can find out more about the federal government shutdown here: Why the US government has shut down and what happens now

Kwasi Gyamfi Asiedu
Reporting from Washington's Reagan National Airport

Image source, BBC / Kwasi Asiedu

One refrain I've heard from travellers over the course of the day is that a "delayed (trip) is better than cancelled".

Tourist Martin Bayona's flight to Miami is delayed by an hour and half - and he's hoping it stays that way so that he can get home to Panama.

International flights are technically not covered by the FAA's order to reduce service, but that doesn’t mean there are no potential knock on effects.

"We don't want to lose the flight [because] after this, we have another flight from Miami," says Bayona, who is on holiday from Panama with his wife.

"In the case we stay in Washington, we also have to buy new tickets, so it [leads to] additional costs for us, and it's not an option for us right now," he says.

"We have to work next week, so there's no more options (if) flights (are) delayed.”

Kwasi Gyamfi Asiedu
Reporting from Washington's Reagan National Airport

Image source, BBC/Kwasi Asiedu

There is only one direct flight a day between Wichita, Kansas and the US capital.

For traveller Ben Sauceda, who happens to be the president of the Kansas Aviation Museum, there is a much bigger concern than having a flight delayed a day.

It was a flight between Wichita and Washington - the same route that Sauceda is hoping to board - that collided with a US army helicopter at this airport in January, killing 67 people, a tragedy that shocked the nation and raised serious questions with the air traffic control system in the US.

With air traffic controllers already stretched thin by pre-existing staff shortages, Sauceda says he worries about them now working without pay.

"I'm entrusting my life, every time I'm flying, with air traffic controllers," he tells me. "They're phenomenal... but right now I'm putting [my life] into the hands of people who aren't getting paid, and that puts a stress on them; when they're trying to figure out how to feed their families.

"We're asking them to be top-notch, to protect us... The stresses that are put on them are incredibly hard, and the government needs to figure this out."

Kwasi Gyamfi Asiedu
Reporting from Washington Reagan National Airport

Ariana Jakovljevic is heading to Jacksonville, Florida for a work commitment that was booked months ago. But the flight has been delayed for two hours and she hopes it not the prelude to a cancellation.

"I need to be on that flight today because I need to be there by like 9:00 am tomorrow," she tells me. "I literally have no choice but to get on this plane."

If she can't get on this plane, she will consider driving south instead.

For Jakovljevic, the shutdown-induced travel chaos is only one part of the federal funding impasse's impact on her life. She is a federal worker who has not been paid because of the shutdown.

"It's not great," she says. "I just graduated college. This is my first real job. I thought I had the golden ticket. I keep hoping stuff will get taken care of."

The parent company of British Airways, International Airlines Group (IAG), says it is seeing a "softness" in demand for flights to the US.

Reporting on its latest company shares, which fell 7.4% in London on Friday, IAG said that overall it had a "good performance" in the third quarter after a "record period a year prior".

The IAG says the company saw some softness "as expected" in the US market.

Russ Mould, investment director at AJ Bell, tells BBC Radio 4's Today programme the ongoing government shutdown may be a contributing factor to the drop in interest.

"We've seen airlines announce flight closures between 4% and 10% of their planned routes, but at the moment that's focused on short-haul only, not long-haul flights," Mould adds.

Travellers at Washington DC's Reagan National Airport say they're worried about air travel as flight cancellations continue and air traffic controllers report fatigue.

Some told the BBC they're tired of the government shutdown and just want things to get back to normal.

Sakshi Venkatraman
Reporting from New York

We've been monitoring airports all over the US after a federal transportation directive has left thousands of flights delayed or cancelled.

Here is the situation right now:

• So far today, more than 1,000 flights have been cancelled and 4,1300 have been delayed into, out of, or within the US
• At Washington's Reagan Airport, the average delay for arriving flights is 240 minutes
• Major airlines like American, Southwest and Delta have made statements, saying they are offering their customers refunds and free flight changes for the inconvenience
• The cancellations are centred at 40 major airports, including in big cities like New York, Los Angeles, Chicago and Washington DC
• We're not seeing the worst of it yet. Only 4% of flights are cut today, but that number could increase to 10% next week. If the US federal government shutdown continues, that number could go up further to 20%, US Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said today

Hundreds of thousands of federal workers are currently going without pay as the longest shutdown in US history continues, including air traffic controllers. Many have reported fatigue, with some taking second jobs or calling in sick to deal with the lapse in funding.

Kwasi Gyamfi Asiedu
Reporting from Washington's Reagan National Airport

Ndenisarya Meekins' flight to New York with her daughter, Sara, was cancelled, threatening what is supposed to be a special mother-daughter trip, complete with tickets to stage shows in the Big Apple.

There were no alternatives with the same airline but after an anxious search, Meekins has been able to rebook with a different carrier.

"It's a special day for us to be up there, and we have a lot of plans in New York, so it would have been a little bit of a catastrophe if we weren't able to make it up," she tells me here at DCA in Washington.

Meekins says travelling at this time also feels "nerve-wracking" because of the air traffic controller shortage.

"We're trusting that we have what we need to be safe," she says. "You think about these folks that have been working also without pay. We're going to go through security right now, and these are TSA agents who have been going through this process without pay and your heart goes out to them."

For Sara, the shutdown has already disrupted the school year. The funding lapse means all Smithsonian museums have now been closed and there are no educational field trips taking place, "which has been really disappointing, it's pretty upsetting",.

Image source, Getty Images

Another factor impacting air travel are the Transportation Security Agency (TSA) agents, who are also government employees and – like air traffic controllers – are not being paid while the shutdown is in place.

Like many other "essential federal workers", most of TSA’s 64,000 employees are required to work without pay during a shutdown.

During the previous government lockdown, under Trump in 2018, it was found that up to 10% of TSA staff chose to stay at home, rather than work for free.

It’s another factor adding to the mounting delays, cancellations and confusion affecting air travel across the US.

Kwasi Gyamfi Asiedu
Reporting from Washington's Reagan Airport

I have been here since 0800 EST (1300 GMT) this morning and the departure screens have gone from just a few flights cancelled - and most on time - now to 29 cancelled flights that I can count. The majority of the rest of them show significant delays.

Image source, BBC / Kwasi Asiedu

Over on the arrivals board, there are 13 cancelled flights and almost every incoming flight is delayed. The FAA warns that the average delay travelling to DCA is now 240 minutes, external long due to staffing issues.Data from Flight Aware shows that nationally there have been more than 970 cancelled flights and nearly 4,000 delayed flights throughout the US today.

And I'm here at one of the worst-affected airports, in the nation's capital where the funding impasse will have to be resolved.

Image source, Getty Images

Airlines for America, an air trade association, said they are working to comply with the FAA's order to cut flights, while mitigating disruption for travellers, but it won't be easy.

Some 38 days into the shutdown - the longest in US history - air traffic controllers are receiving another empty pay cheque, the trade association said.

"More than 3.5 million passengers have experienced delays or cancellations because of air traffic control staffing concerns since the shutdown began," the statement said.

"This simply is not sustainable."

Airlines for America implored Congress to act 'with extreme urgency" to reopen the government. With American Thanksgiving around the corner, the trade association stressed "time is of the essence".

Image source, Getty Images

A union that represents 55,000 flight attendants in the US is part of a growing group calling for an end to the shutdown, claiming the safety of aviation workers is at risk.

"The only way aviation keeps moving during a shutdown is because air traffic controllers and TSA officers come to work without getting paid, while everyone who supports their work for our safety and security is sent home without pay," says Association of Flight Attendants-CWA President Sara Nelson in a statement.

Flight attendants are some of the most at risk when air travel goes awry, Nelson says.

"Flight Attendants are on the front lines of aviation safety. We count on federal workers being able to do their jobs without distraction. End this shutdown NOW," she says.

Without air travel, "the country stops", she says.

"Safety is not a political game," she adds. "Recent events in aviation should sober us all and redirect an urgent call to work together to keep Americans safe."

Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy says that flight reductions could hit 20% if the federal government shutdown continues and air traffic controllers continue to miss work.

"If this shutdown doesn’t end relatively soon, the consequence of that is going to be more controllers don’t come to work and then we’re going to have to continue to assess the pressure in the airspace and make decisions that may again move us from 10% to 15%, maybe to 20," Duffy told Fox News.

He added that even if the shutdown were to immediately end, delays could continue.

"The problem is the airlines have to then, you know, put those, those flights back out for booking again, right? And so it’s going to take some time for the airlines to respond," Duffy said.

"So, once we see more controllers in the towers, then airlines have to respond to that. So, it can be, you know, days if not a week before we get back to to full force flights when the, when the shutdown ends."

Image source, Reuters

Southwest Airlines has announced that it is cancelling about 120 flights on Friday.

The flights affect 34 airports, according to the Dallas-based airline, which says in a statement that it represents "a small portion of our daily schedule".

The statement adds that about 100 flights will likely be cancelled on Saturday.

Ana Faguy
Reporting from Washington Dc

If you're just joining us, let's catch you up on what's happening in the US today:

• The US government shutdown is in its 38th day as Republicans and Democrats appear no closer to a resolution to the spending battle they've been fighting over the past few weeks
• Because of the shutdown, hundreds of thousands of federal workers are going without pay including air traffic controllers who help planes take off and land at hundreds of US airports each day
• Some of those air traffic controllers have stopped showing up for work - either calling out sick or quitting in favour of new work - causing delays and cancellations at airports
• This lack of air traffic controllers has pushed the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to reduce internal flights by 4%, before increasing that reduction to the full 10% by the end of next week
• So far today, there have been more than 2,900 delays of flights into or out of the US and another more than 900 cancellations

Stick with us and we'll bring you the latest.

The flight cancellations which began today come as the US is just weeks from its busiest travel period of the year.

Thanksgiving will be celebrated across the country on Thursday, 27 November, and is traditionally heralded by packed airports and jammed highways as people set off to visit family and friends.

The federal government's decision to cancel thousands of flights to reduce capacity and ease pressure on the air traffic control system during the government shutdown could make the holidays that little bit more stressful.

By next Friday, it’s expected there could be up to 4,000 fewer flights operating every day affecting 40 of the country's busiest airports, including in Atlanta, Newark, Denver, Chicago, Houston and Los Angeles.

It is unclear if further cancellations would follow beyond that, and delays could also worsen.

Blanca Estrada
Reporting from Chicago O'Hare International Airport

Image source, Blanca Estrada / BBC

I'm traveling from Chicago to Los Angeles today, which means I'll be passing through two of the country's busiest airports - O'Hare International Airport and Los Angeles International Airport.

The FAA's website says O'Hare currently has an average ground delay time of 61 minutes, due to the staffing shortages caused by the government shutdown.

I've travelled through O'Hare International Airport numerous times, and today it seems to be business as usual. Despite having fewer TSA personnel on duty, the line moved surprisingly quickly - it took no more than 15 minutes to get through. I was expecting a longer wait, especially since Fridays are busy travel days.

However, waiting at the gate is a different story.

Boarding was delayed, causing everyone to pile up near the gate. Many people look frustrated as they chat about the minor delay, though most seem understanding of the situation.

At the moment, the departure time seems unchanged, and we’re still estimated to arrive in Los Angeles on schedule.

Image source, Getty Images

Delta Airlines says it has reduced flights through the weekend after the FAA guidelines.

A spokesperson says all required cancellations have now been made, and the airline is trying to provide affected customers with other options.

"We are providing additional flexibility to our customers traveling to, from or through the impacted markets to change, cancel or refund their flights," Delta's statement said.

They are also notifying customers ahead of time by email and text if their flight has been cancelled.

Ana Faguy
Reporting from Washington DC

Senate Majority Leader John Thune told reporters on the Hill that he will advise members to be available this weekend and not to go to their home states, as most do on weekends.

It could suggest he thinks there's some sort of momentum towards reaching a resolution.

The government shutdown is now the longest ever, at 38 days.

It's now lunchtime on the east coast and mid-morning on the west coast, making it a good time to look at the scale of the FAA's enforced flight capacity reductions.

The 40 busiest airports are impacted, and so far today there have been 855 cancellations and 2,301 delays to scheduled flights across the US.

You can read the full list of airports impacted here.

Airlines are scrambling to rebook passengers on alternative flights, but a lot of people have had their plans thrown into disarray and others are reassessing upcoming travel.

Stick with us as we bring you the latest.