Flights across the country affected by Hurricane Matthew

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Hurricane Matthew is causing major problems for airlines along the east coast, and could cause a ripple effect for flights across the country.

As of Thursday evening, more than 3000 flights had been canceled for Thursday and Friday, according to FlightAware.

Most of the cancelations were in and out of the sunshine state and along the southern East Coast.

The Air Traffic Controllers Association estimates nearly 87,000 domestic flights occur daily in the U.S.

While the current cancelations account for a rather small percentage of the nation's flight volume, Houston airport officials warn they could cause a ripple effect for connecting flights across America.

For example, if the plane for a flyer's connecting flight originates in Florida and is canceled due to the storm, airlines could be forced to shuffle that travelers itinerary to accommodate them on a different connection. 

All airlines are encouraging flyers to closely monitor their flight status, and to proactively reach out about changes to their trips.

Many are waiving fees for those who wish to change their itinerary in light of the hurricane.  Travelers in Houston can go to fly2houston.com to check their trip status.