JetBlue, Delta, United Cancel Hundreds of More Flights Due to Omicron-Driven Manning
Airlines continued to cancel hundreds of flights on Saturday as staffing issues related to COVID-19 disrupted holiday celebrations during one of the busiest travel times of the year. FlightAware, a flight tracking website, noted that 875 flights in, out of or inside the United States were canceled on Saturday, up from 689 on Friday. Around 200 more flights had already been canceled for Sunday. FlightAware does not say why flights have been canceled. FlightAware said that 64 flights arriving or departing from Boston’s Logan International Airport were canceled on Christmas Day, with half from JetBlue, the airport’s largest airline. JetBlue said they were struggling with an increasing number of sick leave due to the omicron coronavirus. “We entered the holiday season with the highest staffing levels we have had since the pandemic began and are using all available resources to meet our staffing needs,”[ads1]; the airline said in a statement. “Despite our best efforts, we have had to cancel a number of flights, and further cancellations of flights and other delays are still a possibility as we see more omicron communities spreading.” The airline said it does what it can to have crew members who are not. ill volunteer to work extra hours to get our customers where they need to go, including offering incentives to workers who are not scheduled to work to pick up extra shifts and trips. “The health and safety of our crew members and customers remains “our highest priority while working through this pandemic, and we strongly apologize for the inconvenience caused by these route changes during the holidays,” the airline wrote. According to FlightAware, Delta, United and JetBlue canceled more than 10% of their Saturday routes. United spokesman Maddie King said the lack of staffing was still causing cancellations and that it was unclear when normal operations would return. “This was unexpected,” she said of omicron’s impact on staffing. To alleviate staff shortages, some countries, including Spain and the United Kingdom, have reduced the length of COVID-19 quarantine by allowing people to return to work more quickly after testing positive or exposed to the virus. Delta chief executive Ed Bastian was among those who urged the Biden administration to take similar steps or risk further disruption to flights. JetBlue is asking for the same. “Rapid and safe adjustments from the CDC will alleviate at least some of the crew pressure and set up airlines to help millions of travelers returning from vacation,” the airline said.
Airlines continued to cancel hundreds of flights on Saturday as staffing issues related to COVID-19 disrupted holiday celebrations during one of the busiest travel times of the year.
FlightAware, a flight tracking website, noted that 875 flights in, out of or inside the United States were canceled on Saturday, up from 689 on Friday. Around 200 more flights had already been canceled for Sunday. FlightAware does not say why flights have been canceled.
FlightAware said that 64 flights arriving or departing from Boston’s Logan International Airport were canceled on Christmas Day, with half from JetBlue, the airport’s largest airline.
JetBlue said they were struggling with an increasing number of sick leave due to the omicron coronavirus.
“We entered the holiday season with the highest staffing levels we have had since the pandemic began and are using all available resources to meet our staffing needs,” the airline said in a statement. “Despite our best efforts, we have had to cancel a number of flights, and further flight cancellations and other delays are still a possibility as we see more omicron communities spreading.”
The airline said it is doing what it can to have crew members who are not sick volunteers to work extra hours to get our customers where they need to go, including offering incentives to workers who are not scheduled to work to pick up extra shifts and trips.
“The health and safety of our crew members and customers remains our top priority as we work through this pandemic, and we sincerely apologize for the inconvenience caused by these schedule changes during the holidays,” the airline wrote.
According to FlightAware, Delta, United and JetBlue canceled more than 10% of their Saturday routes.
United spokesman Maddie King said the lack of staffing was still causing cancellations and that it was unclear when normal operations would return. “This was unexpected,” she said of omicron’s impact on staffing.
To alleviate staff shortages, some countries, including Spain and the United Kingdom, have reduced the length of COVID-19 quarantines by allowing people to return to work more quickly after testing positive or exposed to the virus.
Delta chief Ed Bastian was among those who urged the Biden administration to take similar steps or risk further disruption to flights.
JetBlue asks for the same.
“Rapid and safe adjustments from the CDC will alleviate at least some of the crew pressure and set up airlines to help millions of travelers returning from vacation,” the airline said.
