Airlines are canceling 2,700 more flights worldwide as the travel test continues
An increase in covid-19 and bad weather have grunted flights with cancellations.
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After bad weather and a wave of coronavirus cases, lumpy flights over the Christmas holiday weekend, thousands of flight cancellations have squeezed into the week leading up to New Year’s Day.
Nearly 2,700 flights have been canceled worldwide so far on Tuesday, after more than 3,200 were canceled on Monday, according to FlightAware.com. Globally, airlines canceled more than 6,000 flights over the Christmas weekend from Friday to Sunday, according to CNN. That brings the total number of canceled flights up to about 12,000 since Christmas Eve.
Airlines pointed to poor winter weather and lack of staffing, as the widespread omicron variant of the coronavirus either infects workers or shrinks their ability to work due to quarantine after an exposure. The end of the year around Christmas and New Year’s Day is one of the busiest travel times of the year.
United canceled 129 of its flights on Tuesday, about 6% of the total planned number, according to FlightAware.
“The nationwide increase in omicron cases has had a direct impact on our flight crews and the people operating our operation,” a United spokeswoman said on Monday. “As a result, we have unfortunately had to cancel some flights and alert affected customers before they arrive at the airport. We apologize for the inconvenience and are working hard to rebook as many as possible and get them on their way on holiday.”
Travel in general became a question mark as families thought about their holiday collection plans in the midst of the rise in omicron cases, and those who stuck to their travel plans over the weekend probably struggled to get to their destinations. On Sunday, more than 189,000 new COVID-19 cases were seen in the United States alone, according to The New York Times coronavirus traces.
