The nightmare before Christmas: United, Delta and other airlines cancel 450 flights and delay over 460 scheduled for Friday across US because of crew shortages due to Omicron surge
Hundreds of Christmas Eve flights have been canceled and delayed as the fast-spreading Omicron variant takes a toll on flight crews and other workers.
Chicago-based United Airlines has canceled at least 169 flights for Friday, while Atlanta-based Delta said it has canceled about 128 and Alaska Airlines said it had canceled 10.
United and Delta said they were working to contact passengers so they would not be stranded at airports.
'The nationwide spike in Omicron cases this week has had a direct impact on our flight crews and the people who run our operation. As a result, we've unfortunately had to cancel some flights and are notifying impacted customers in advance of them coming to the airport,' United said.
At least one of the airlines is making it clear that COVID is responsible for the cancellations.
People waiting to travel at airports across the country may have their plans thrown into flux as several Christmas Eve flights have been canceled. Pictured: People waiting at Orlando International Airport on Thursday
At least 227 flights between three airlines were chopped from the schedule for Christmas Eve Friday. Pictured: People lined up the Southwest counter at Orlando International Airport on Thursday
Delta, United and Alaska Airlines were among the fliers to announce that they had to cancel travel for passengers
When accessing a cancelled flight on United's website, the following message pops up: 'Your flight is canceled due to an increase in Covid cases limiting crew availability. We're sorry for disrupting your holiday plans and for the inconvenience.'
Delta said it has 'exhausted all options and resources -- including rerouting and substitutions of aircraft and crews to cover scheduled flying -- before canceling around 90 flights for Friday.'
Delta cited potential inclement weather and the impact of the Omicron variant for the cancellations.
On Friday, Germany-based Lufthansa that it was canceling a dozen long-haul transatlantic flights over the Christmas holiday period because of a 'massive rise' in sick leave among pilots.
The cancellations on flights to Houston, Boston and Washington come despite a 'large buffer' of additional staff for the period.
The airline says it couldn't speculate on whether COVID-19 infections or quarantines were responsible because it was not informed about the sort of illness. Passengers were booked on other flights.
Globally, more than 3,000 flights were cancelled for Christmas Eve and Christmas Day, according to FlightAware, while a additional 2,000 flights were cancelled on Thursday.
The flight tracking website data showed that more than 20 percent of the flights canceled for Christmas Eve involved flights within, into or out of the United States, the Washington Post reported.
Notbaly, American and Alaska had said they would comply with President Joe Biden's COVID-19 vaccine mandate for government contractors, while Delta's CEO had promised to fight the rule.
On Tuesday, Delta Chief Executive Ed Bastian asked the head of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to shrink quarantine guidelines for fully vaccinated individuals who experience breakthrough COVID-19 infections, citing the impact on the carrier's workforce.
Bastian asked that the isolation period be cut to five days from the current 10.
That request was echoed both by Airlines for America, a trade group representing major cargo and passenger carriers, which wrote to the CDC on Thursday, and by JetBlue on Wednesday.
The CDC released updated quarantine guidance for healthcare workers on Thursday, cutting the isolation time to seven days for workers who test positive for COVID-19 but are asymptomatic, providing they test negative.
It has been expected to be a rebound season for holiday travel after the pandemic shut down most of it in 2020.
Travelers were told they should brace for long waits at airports and lengthy traffic on the roads as an estimated 109 million people are set to travel between December 23rd and January 2nd this year - a 34 percent increase from the same time period in 2020.
When accessing a cancelled flight on United's website, the following message pops up: 'Your flight is canceled due to an increase in Covid cases limiting crew availability. We're sorry for disrupting your holiday plans and for the inconvenience'
A dramatic 27.7 million more people than in 2020 will travel 50 miles or more this holiday season, with eight percent less travelers than the same point in 2019.
Of those travelers, 6.4 million will be boarding airplanes, more than twice the 2.3 million that did so during the holiday season during the height of COVID in 2020. In 2019, 7.33 million holiday travelers traveled by airline, compared to 6.7 million in 2018 and 6.5 million in 2017.
Over the past three days, the Transportation Security Administration has screened more than two million passengers each day at airports nationwide, double the number of screenings carried out this time in 2020.
A ripple of flight delays and cancellations led to major delays at Austin-Bergstrom International Airport on Saturday. On Sunday, officials expected 27,256 passengers, almost triple from 2020's numbers according to KENS 5.
Lines for TSA checks at the Texas airport wrapped around the airport on Monday.
On Sunday, officials expected 27,256 passengers at Austin-Bergstrom International Airport, almost triple from 2020's numbers
Of this year's holiday travelers, 6.4 million will be boarding airplanes, more than twice the 2.3 million that did so during the holiday season during the height of COVID in 2020. In 2019, 7.33 million holiday travelers traveled by airline, compared to 6.7 million in 2018 and 6.5 million in 2017
A ripple of flight delays and cancellations led to major delays at Austin-Bergstrom International Airport on Saturday
Airport passengers took to Twitter to complain of longer-than-normal wait times as AAA predicted that more than 109 million people would travel more than 50 miles this holiday season
TSA lines were extraordinarily long at Austin-Bergstrom International Airport on Saturday, causing some to miss their flights
Lines for TSA checks at the Texas airport wrapped around the airport on Monday due to cancelled and delayed flights
At Los Angeles International Airport, up to 3.5 million travelers are expected to pass through between December 17 and January 3rd. There were 45 million travelers during that period in 2019, but this year's prediction is higher than the 1.85 million passengers seen at that time in 2020.
After Sunday, peak travel days are expected between December 26 and January 2nd, with more than 200,000 passengers expected each of those days. Friday, according to LAX officials, was the busiest day the airport saw since 2020.
'That trend will continue each Sunday for the next three weeks, with busy days in between,' LAX tweeted.
After Sunday, peak travel days at LAX are expected again on Dec. 26 and Jan. 2, when more than 200,000 passengers are expected during each of the days.
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