Major travel impacts at SFO and OAK as FAA-ordered flight cuts begin

SAN FRANCISCO (KGO) -- Dozens of flight cancellations and delays at San Francisco International Airport and Oakland San Francisco Bay Airport due to the government shutdown are causing frustration among travelers.

Some fliers are being forced to find other ways of getting where they are going as staffing issues hit the airline industry.

SFO and OAK are among 40 major airports that have been ordered by the Federal Aviation Administration to cancel 4% of their flights. That number is expected to increase to 10% by next Friday. Passengers should get a notice from their airline if their flight is affected.

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The delays started early Friday morning at SFO where there was a ground stop for a bit.

SFO and OAK said it's up to airlines to adjust schedules to comply with the FAA order.

Friday morning, United Airlines spoke about its plans.

"Here in San Francisco, we have canceled about 4% of flights throughout the weekend," said Lori Augustine, vice president of United's SFO hub. "That means a total of about 10 flights per day out of 300 daily departures."

United said it canceled flights in places like Orange County, Las Vegas and Ontario where it has multiple flights a day.

Those locations were chosen so that travelers have other opportunities to rebook.

"If you're traveling today, Saturday or Sunday, you have already gotten a text message or an email letting you know flights have been canceled," Augustine said.

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The airline said travelers with or without canceled flights have options.

"No pressure here. If any of our customers traveling with United Airlines want to cancel their flight, need to cancel their flight, would like a refund, we are giving full refunds to those passengers," said Clarissa Ingram, Senior Manager of Customer Service Airport Operations.

Though the government shutdown doesn't have an end in sight, United said that for now, there is a slight silver lining for travelers impacted.

"Since it's not a holiday or a busy summer travel season, we've got more open seats," Augustine said. "So we're hopeful we can rebook all of our passengers."

At SFO, at least 110 flights among different airlines are expected to be cut. At Oakland airport,10 flights are expected to be canceled.

The FAA said the air traffic reduction is needed for safety.

Air traffic controllers and TSA agents have been forced to work without pay during the shutdown and many are calling out sick.

While San Francisco and Oakland are on the list of airports, San Jose is not. Still, that airport said there could be disruptions in the air transportation network.

Stay with ABC7 News for updates on this developing story.