Edward Carr’s family doesn’t need the added anxiety as they navigate emergency travel plans over the next several days.

But that’s what they’re dealing with as the Federal Aviation Administration eliminates 10% of flights nationwide, starting at 4% Friday and ramping up gradually through Nov. 14. FAA officials say the flights must be canceled to maintain travel safety as understaffed air traffic controllers continue to work without pay during the longest federal shutdown in U.S. history.

Carr, who lives in Buxton, was at Portland International Jetport on Friday, sipping an iced coffee as he waited for his mother to arrive on a Delta flight from Michigan.

She’ll be taking care of Carr’s two kids while he and his wife fly out Sunday, heading for Chattanooga, Tennessee, where her father is set to have surgery on Tuesday. Then he’ll fly back to Portland on Wednesday, when his mom is scheduled to return to Michigan.

Carr understands the strain that air traffic controllers are working under during the shutdown, but the flight cancellations couldn’t have come at a more challenging time for his family.

“There are so many variables because not one of our flights is direct,” Carr said. “It has added extra anxiety for all of us when we don’t really need it.”

FAA officials announced a “proactive” plan Wednesday to trim airline schedules by 10% at 40 “high-volume traffic markets,” which eventually could affect more than 4,000 flights daily. Flights will be reduced 6% by Tuesday, 8% by Thursday and 10% by Nov. 14.

The list of 40 affected airports released Thursday night includes Boston Logan International Airport but not Portland International Jetport, Bangor International Airport or Manchester-Boston Regional Airport in Manchester, New Hampshire.

While the jetport isn’t on the list, the vast majority of its flights go to and from 15 airports that are on the list, jetport officials said.

Nationwide, more than 840 flights were canceled Friday and 450 flights have been canceled for Saturday. While none of those flights was from Portland, jetport officials noted that travelers with connecting flights may experience delays or cancellations.

MANY FLIGHTS IMPACTED

Over the next two weeks, 1,016 of the jetport’s 1,044 scheduled flights are to or from airports that are being restricted — as are 96% to 100% of the flights scheduled through Wednesday, when Carr and his family will be flying.

Jetport officials advise travelers like Carr to check with their airlines before heading to the airport. The airlines that serve the jetport are American Airlines, Breeze Airways, Delta Air Lines, JetBlue Airways, Southwest Airlines and United Airlines.

The 40 airports selected by the FAA for reductions span more than two dozen states and include hubs such as Atlanta, Dallas, Denver, Los Angeles, Miami and Newark, New Jersey.

Making a connecting flight was a major concern for Judy Rosenbaum in recent days as she and her husband, Will, prepared to return from their home in Boothbay to their second home in Florida.

“I have to get through Atlanta,” Rosenbaum said as the couple waited for their Delta flight to Tallahassee. “It’s been harrowing. Last night I was ready to repack everything and just drive us down.”

The ticket agent at the jetport gave them boarding passes for Atlanta, so Rosenbaum was hopeful she’d be home by 7 p.m.

Rosenbaum understands the need to reduce flights to preserve air safety, but she also believes Congress should agree to fund health care and end the shutdown.

“I hate (the shutdown), but I think the health care issue needs to be addressed more than we need to get around on airplanes,” she said.

LENGTH OF RESTRICTIONS UNCLEAR

It is unclear when the reduced flights could end. Airlines, unions and the travel industry have urged Congress to end the shutdown, which became the longest on record Wednesday and entered its 38th day Friday.

Airlines are notifying passengers of cancellations and offering refunds to travelers who opt not to fly, even if they have tickets that aren’t normally refundable.

The cuts also could disrupt package deliveries because two airports with major distribution centers are on the list. FedEx operates at the Memphis, Tennessee, airport and UPS in Louisville, Kentucky, where there was a deadly cargo plane crash this week.

Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy warned this week there could be widespread disruption if the shutdown drags on and controllers miss their second full paycheck next week.

Shamika Whale, 27, also was at the jetport Friday. As she checked her bags at the Delta desk, Whale worried about making her connecting flight home to Jamaica after working at a Kennebunkport hotel for several months.

Her family is OK after the island nation was ravaged by Hurricane Melissa last week, Whale said, but damage is widespread. She was anxious to see her mother and hoping for a smooth flight.

“I just want to get home,” she said.

This story contains reporting from The Associated Press.