US Flight Cuts Set to Increase With Tighter Limits Taking Effect

The havoc plaguing the US travel industry will likely escalate Tuesday when tighter federal restrictions on flights take effect, even while lawmakers move closer toward ending the government shutdown.

The Federal Aviation Administration is requiring airlines to reduce their US operations by 6% from 6 a.m. to 10 p.m. local time. That compares with the 4% mandate previously in place.

About 1,159 of Tuesday’s scheduled 22,811 flights — or about 5.1% — had been canceled by 5:40 a.m. New York time, according to data from FlightAware and aviation analytics company Cirium.

The highest number of cancellations so far were at ...