2,400 US flights cancelled as Omicron and bad weather cause travel chaos
More than 2,400 US flights are cancelled as Omicron and adverse weather continues to cause travel chaos
On Sunday, more than 2,400 US flights were cancelled as Omicron and bad weather conditions continued to cause travel chaos over the holiday season.
2,449 flights within, into or out of the US on Sunday were cancelled while 5,251 additional US flights faced delays according to tracking website FlightAware.com.
Chicago and Denver – key US travel hubs – were the worst affected airports worldwide to be hit by cancelled flights, with 276 outgoing and 20 incoming flights cancelled at Chicago O’Hare International and 141 outgoing and 172 incoming cancelled at Denver International.
Chicago and Denver are among the states hit by harsh weather while a large storm is now threatening to add further disruption as it brings heavy snow and ice across the Midwest and the Rockies.
Several airlines had to cancel flights due to staff shortages caused by the rising Covid-19 cases.
The US – like other countries – is dealing with the rapid spread of the Omicron Covid-19 variant. The US reached almost 500,000 new infections every day and pilots and cabin crew members are testing positive and being forced to quarantine.
Over 2,600 US flights canceled is the highest single day US toll yet since just before #Christmas. Airlines began blaming staffing shortages on increasing #COVID19 infections among crews. However, Saturday’s disruptions weren’t just due to the virus, but wintry weather. #SEAToday pic.twitter.com/u3LXHMTgZu
— SEA Today News (@seatodaynews) January 3, 2022
Flight cancellations have been on the rise since Christmas Eve – reaching a peak on the 1st January 2022.
For America, new year travel was off to a rocky start when more than 2,700 US flights were cancelled on 1 January as Americans returned home from their celebrations.
A total of 593 US flights have been cancelled for Monday leaving many Americans stranded as they are returning to work from the extended Christmas break.
Travel chaos is being felt everywhere but the US is bearing the brunt of it, making up for more than half of the total 4,102 flights cancelled globally on Sunday.
The holiday season is typically a time of increased travel for Americans but the flurry of cancellations has put a dampener on the season usually spent visiting family and friends and on vacation.
https://twitter.com/NITEGlobalMkts/status/1477913852692082692
Utah-based Skywest was the worst US airline affected on Sunday – with the regional carrier axing 21 per cent of all its flights.
JetBlue grounded 16 per cent of its planned flights, Southwest 11 per cent, Spirit 10 per cent, and Delta 6 per cent.
Travel chaos is expected to continue into the month, with JetBlue scrapping around 1,280 flights from its schedule through to 13 January.
Some airlines are trying to limit the number of cancellations with United Airlines offering pilots three times their usual wages to take on extra flights in January.
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