WASHINGTON, Nov 12 (Reuters) - Southwest Airlines ( LUV )

told employees Wednesday it is optimistic the Federal

Aviation Administration will soon allow U.S. airlines to resume

its full schedule.

The FAA on Friday imposed 4% flight cuts at the 40 busiest

U.S. airports, which is set to rise to 8% Thursday and 10%

Friday unless the agency revises the order. "Once the shutdown

ends, we're optimistic that the FAA will allow airlines to

resume normal operations within a few days," Southwest ( LUV ) Chief

Operating Officer Andrew Watterson told employees in a note seen

by Reuters.