Thousands of flights delayed and canceled because of Omicron
The new Omicron variant, which is more transmissible, is believed to be the culprit that continues to cause airlines to face staff shortages, especially among flight crew. This has led to the “Flightmare” and “chaos” that began before Christmas Eve 2021 continuing into the new year 2022 for the third consecutive week.
Flightmare and chaos occurred again at Orlando International Airport on January 2.
Southwest was the hardest hit US airline on Monday, January 3, with 481 flights canceled and another 477 delayed. SkyWest, which operates in more than 200 US cities on behalf of Delta, United Airlines, American Eagle and Alaska, canceled 271 flights. Denver International Airport and Newark Airport were two of the top five US airports with the most flight cancellations.
According to the Daily Mail on January 5, the United States broke the record for the number of new Covid-19 infections per day, mainly due to the outbreak of the new Omicron variant - up to 1,082,549 new infections on January 3. Therefore, according to data from the FlightAware.com website of the American company specializing in tracking flights, as of the afternoon of January 4, there were 1,442 more flights in the US canceled and more than 3,600 flights delayed, leaving many passengers "stuck" and frustrated.
Winter storm hits Washington DC on January 3 causing many flight delays/cancellations.
Along with the shortage of staff, especially flight crews working due to Covid-19, airlines also cited bad weather as the reason for disrupting flight schedules. On January 3, due to a major storm hitting the Mid-Atlantic states including New York and Washington DC, more than half of flights were delayed or canceled at Ronald Reagan National Airport, as well as Baltimore/Washington Thurgood Marshall and Washington Dulles International Airports. Similarly, a quarter of flights at New York's three major airports were also delayed or canceled.
“FLIGHTMARE” SITUATIONAL SOLUTION
According to data from FlightAware.com, as of noon on January 3, more than 2,600 flights in the US and more than 4,400 flights worldwide were grounded due to cancellations, along with 8,500 delayed flights (including 3,100 flights in the US). Previously, on Sunday, January 2, more than 2,600 flights in the US and more than 4,400 flights worldwide were grounded, after the busiest day since Christmas, Saturday, January 1, with more than 2,700 flights in the US and more than 4,700 flights worldwide being grounded due to cancellations.
The “Flightmare” situation that started on Christmas Eve 2021 continues with thousands of flights delayed/canceled every day during the New Year 2022. Pictured is a scene of crowded queues at Salt Lake City airport.
U.S. airlines say they are trying to ease the delays and cancellations. United Airlines, for example, is offering pilots three or more times their normal pay to take “open” flights through most of January. Spirit Airlines has reached an agreement with the Association of Flight Attendants to double pay its flight attendants through Tuesday, January 4.
Flight delays and cancellations continued on January 4. Pictured is passengers lining up to buy tickets at St. Louis – Lambert International Airport.
Airlines generally hope that the temporary solution of paying more and reducing flight schedules will be able to help them get through the holiday season, which is also the peak tourist season of the year (usually lasting from Christmas of the previous year to mid-January of the following year).
