United, Delta begin cancelling flights under FAA directive

By David Shepardson

Nov 6 (Reuters) - United Airlines UAL.O and Delta Air Lines both started cancelling Friday flights after the Federal Aviation Administration directed reductions at 40 high-traffic U.S. airports to address air traffic control safety concerns, the carriers said Thursday.

United said on Thursday it plans to cut 4% of its flights Friday through Sunday. Delta said it was cancelling around 170 flights on Friday and fewer on Saturday because it is a lighter travel day.

The FAA said it planned to impose 10% cuts starting on Friday, but then told airlines it would begin with 4% cuts and ramp up to 10% next week.

United operates around 4,500 flights a day, and the cuts will result in less than 200 daily cancellations, the carrier confirmed.