LOS ANGELES — Lauren Chavez had scrolled through a series of horror stories on TikTok with videos showing people camping out in U.S. airports for hours on end.

She decided to play it safe, arriving at Los Angeles International Airport with her 4-year-old daughter and fiance in tow six hours early for their Friday afternoon flight home to Albuquerque, New Mexico.

But the scene at LAX was relatively calm as she sat cross-legged wearing a Disney sweatshirt she’d purchased while spending a few days exploring Disneyland and Disney California Adventure. Besides a few flights delayed by 30 minutes to an hour, most appeared to be running on schedule.

“We anticipated long TSA lines. The airport we have [in Albuquerque] is very chill. So LAX kind of scares us, we don’t know what to anticipate,” Chavez, 28, said.

Since the government announced this week it would be requiring airlines to reduce the number of flights to minimize risk during the government shutdown, travelers have been bracing for significant disruptions. Flight reductions are expected to climb over the next few days as the Federal Aviation Administration scales back additional air travel to take pressure off air traffic controllers, who have been working unpaid during the shutdown.

According to an emergency order released by the Trump administration, airlines had to cut flights by 4% on Friday and then ramp up to 6% by Tuesday, 8% by Thursday and 10% by Nov. 14. The administration said that number could rise to 20% if the shutdown continues.

Lisa James worried that the government shutdown would cause chaos as she wrapped up a five-day cruise to the Caribbean. When she got to LAX on Friday, the 45-year-old found her Southwest flight home to Chicago and her friends’ Sun Country flights to Minnesota had been delayed by about an hour.

“It’s annoying and scary,” she said as she and a group of friends sat on a bench in Terminal 1 surrounded by their matching pink hardshell suitcases.

The irony, she said, was that she didn’t even want to return home.

“If I had money to vacation all the time, I would,” she said. “But you gotta go home, make a living, take care of the kids, feed the dog.”

Raven Popescu, an audio engineer, was scrolling on his phone for updates as he watched over 15 pieces of luggage and hulking utility cases housing instruments, sound equipment and cables belonging to the rock R&B band Rain City Drive.

“We woke up this morning and thought our flight could be canceled,” the 29-year-old said.

Their flight to Nashville, where they were traveling for a show, was seemingly unaffected. The way home could be a different story, he said.

“I’m a little worried we might get stranded in Nashville,” he said.

The risk of extended delays and cancellations have left travelers disappointed and anxious. Some have tried to shift their plans, but others are simply hoping for the best.

Early Friday morning, Ginger Campbell, 65, logged on to her phone to check her Southwest Airlines app for updates on her flight to Chicago that’s scheduled for 5:30 a.m. Saturday.

Nothing had changed. Her flight out of LAX was still listed on time.

But Campbell, who is traveling to help her 81-year-old mother undergo dental surgery, still worried her flight could be canceled before Saturday morning. And even if the journey goes smoothly, the same might not be true for her return flight set for Nov. 15 or her Thanksgiving plans.

“My whole family is going to Kansas City, so I don’t know if we’re going to be able to make that flight either if the shutdown continues,” Campbell said. “I just feel like this is an unnecessary pressure that we have put on us that we don’t need.”

Some have opted to scrap their travel plans completely to avoid the potential for chaos at airports.

Beverly Gillette decided to cancel her Saturday morning flight to Brooklyn, New York, on Thursday night after reading multiple reports of overworked air traffic controllers, unpaid TSA workers and staffing shortages.

She had planned to visit her daughter who recently had a small surgery. But she worried that LAX and JFK, two airports in Democrat-majority states, might experience “retaliatory measures from the government.”

“Because it wasn’t an emergency trip, it just felt like the smart thing to do, but it’s not what I wanted to do,” she said.

The recent cuts caused by the government shutdown have caused negative repercussions for so many people, Gillette said.

“As if we’re not angry enough about how things are operating in Washington at the moment,” Gillette said, “now we have to be sad because we can’t see our friends and family potentially.”

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(Staff writer Jenny Jarvie contributed to this report.)

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