Over 700 flights across the United States were canceled on Friday, and hundreds have been canceled on Christmas Day, while thousands are delayed.
Airlines report that many crew members have been infected with the Omicron variant of the Covid-19 virus, and therefore there is not enough crew to keep the planes running.
According to airlines, flying is one of the safest places to be, due to the jets’ air-handling system, which processes out most impurities, including viruses.
Friday while more than 3,600 were delayed. Hundreds more were canceled Saturday morning. SeaTac Airport is crowded with stranded travelers, with Los Angeles, San Francisco, Denver, Chicago, and JFK in New York being hot spots for flight cancelations and delays.
One million or more passengers are expected to travel through SeaTac over the two-week holidays. Getting into SeaTac from Anchorage may be routine, but getting to other major destinations may involve some flexibility.
According to FlightAware website,
- Total delays today: 6,815
- Total delays within, into, or out of the United States today: 1,824
- Total cancellations today: 2,695
- Total cancellations within, into, or out of the United States today: 953
Check out the flight misery map at FlightAware.com.
If Omicron is indeed causing a crew shortage, the cancelations can be expected to continue for many days.
