Health

Omicron threat: United, Delta cancel over 200 flights on Christmas eve

Washington, Dec 24 (EFE).- Two airlines in the United States have canceled more than 200 flights scheduled for Christmas Eve due to the Omicron variant outbreak that has spiked Covid-19 infections in the US.

United Airlines canceled 120 flights, and Delta Air Lines canceled 90, said the carriers Thursday.

“The nationwide spike in Omicron cases this week has had a direct impact on our flight crews and the people who run our operation,” said a United statement obtained by various US media houses.

United said it had notified impacted customers in advance.

“We are sorry for the disruption and are working hard to rebook as many people as possible and get them on their way for the holidays.”

Delta said it “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 multiple reasons for the cancellations, including potential inclement weather and the impact of the Omicron variant.

“We apologize to our customers for the delay in their holiday travel plans,” Delta said in a statement.

“Delta people are working hard to get them to where they need to be as quickly and as safely as possible on the next available flight.”

FlightAware, a flight-tracking website, said various carriers canceled more than 300 flights scheduled for Friday.

The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) said on Dec.22, a little over two million people passed through checkpoints at airports across the country, compared to nearly 1.2 million on the same day last year. EFE

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