Flight cancellations in triple digits for second day in US
By Mychael Schnell - 12/25/21 07:43 AM EST
The U.S. is seeing a large number of flight cancellations on Christmas Day, with numbers swelling to triple digits for the second day in a row.
A total of 849 flights within, into or out of the U.S. were canceled as of 7:30 a.m. Eastern time on Saturday, according to data collected by FlightAware.
Thus far, 281 Delta Air Lines flights, 236 United Airlines flights, 120 JetBlue flights and 88 American Airlines flights have been canceled on Saturday in the U.S. as many travelers look to reunite with their families for the holiday.
On Friday, 689 Christmas Eve flights were canceled in the U.S., according to FlightAware.
The current spike in COVID-19 cases nationwide is largely driving the cancellations, according to airlines. The U.S. is seeing a surge in coronavirus cases, in part because of the new, highly transmissible omicron variant.
United Airlines told The Hill in a statement earlier this week that the “nationwide spike in Omicron cases this week has had a direct impact on our flight crews and the people who run our operation.”
The airline said it has been forced to cancel some flights and is “working hard to rebook as many people as possible and get them on their way for the holidays.”
more
https://thehill.com/policy/transportation/587293-flight-cancelations-in-triple-digits-for-second-day-in-us
