US airlines cancel flights due to COVID outbreak-Budrigan ltd

Budrigantrade.com - Nearly 900 flights were canceled by U.S. airlines on Saturday, the second day in a row of massive cancellations due to rising COVID-19 infections that have disabled some pilots and other crew members, disrupting plans for tens of thousands of Christmas weekend travelers.

According to a current count on the flight-tracking website FlightAware.com, more than 880 Christmas Day flights, including domestic flights as well as flights into or out of the country, were canceled, up from 690 on Christmas Eve. 800 flights experienced delays.

The Christmas holidays are typically a popular time to fly, but the rapid spread of the highly transmissible Omicron variant has caused a sharp increase in COVID-19 infections. As a result, airlines have had to cancel flights because they need to quarantine pilots and crew members.

According to a company spokesperson, 230 flights were canceled by United Airlines.

Maddie King, a spokesperson, stated, "The nationwide spike in Omicron cases this week has had a direct impact on our flight crews and the people who run our operation." She went on to say that only a small percentage of United's 4,000 daily flights during the holiday season were canceled.

She stated, "We are putting in a lot of effort to rebook as many people as possible and get them on their way for the holidays."

As of 11:23 a.m. EST (1623 GMT), FlightAware data indicated that Delta Air Lines had cancelled 292 flights, while an American Airlines (AAL.O) spokesperson stated that the airline had to cancel 90 flights to the mainland. Over 2,500 flights were canceled worldwide on Saturday, and approximately 4,200 more were delayed.

"Unfortunately, a number of COVID-related sick calls led us to make the difficult decision to pre-cancel some flights scheduled for today," a spokesperson for American Airlines stated. "Our operation has been running smoothly."

Not all airlines were equally affected. There were no reports of problems with Southwest Airlines' (LUV.N) Saturday flights, according to a spokesperson.

Since its first appearance in November, the Omicron variant has been linked to nearly three-quarters of all cases in the United States and as many as ninety percent in some locales, such as the Eastern Seaboard.

According to a Reuters count, the average daily number of new coronavirus cases in the United States has increased by 45 percent to 179,000.

Health officials have maintained a cautious outlook despite recent research indicating that Omicron causes milder illness and a lower rate of hospitalizations than previous COVID-19 variants.

Americans rushed to take COVID-19 tests ahead of the Christmas holiday, and many of them continued with their travel plans.

Officials in the United States have stated that holiday travelers who have received all necessary vaccinations should feel at ease.