US airlines canceled 957 Christmas Day flights. Plus, there were 2,727 flight delays in or out of the US on Christmas Day. This is the second straight day of mass flight disruptions as COVID19 infections affected pilots and crew members. According to FlightAware.com, airlines canceled 690 Christmas Eve flights.
Canceled Christmas Day Flights
Delta, United, and JetBlue are experiencing high cancelation numbers. Delta alone canceled 290 flights or approximately 14% of its Christmas Day flights. United, on the other hand, canceled 230 flights while American scrapped 90 of its Christmas Day flights.
United spokesperson Maddie King said 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”. She added that the airline is “working hard to rebook as many people as possible”.
However, not all airlines experienced disruptions during Christmas Day. Southwest Airlines spokesperson said that there were no reported issues on Saturday.
Omicron Cases on the Rise
The omicron variant is now spreading fast in the US. In some areas, the omicron variant is responsible for as many as 90% of the cases. Also, the average number of US COVID cases jumped by 45% to 179,000 in the past week.
To prevent healthcare worker shortage, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention shortened the isolation time for healthcare workers who will test positive for COVID19. According to the CDC, healthcare workers can return after seven days if asymptomatic and if he or she tests negative.
The airline industry also appeals to the CDC to reduce the recommended quarantine time for breakthrough cases. Instead of spending 10 days in isolation, Airlines for America requested to cut the isolation period to 5 days. Delta and JetBlue also sent a similar request to the CDC.
However, Sara Nelson, president of the Association of Flight Attendants thinks that this is the “wrong move”. Nelson said that this “may put flight attendants in apposition to be forced to come back before they feel better”.
