Omicron, Winter Weather Complicate Travel as Thousands of Flights Canceled

Airlines blamed the dispersed of the omicron variant for question disruptions that saw immoderate 10,000 flights canceled globally implicit the vacation play and into Monday, arsenic storms successful the occidental United States compounded the chaos.

From Dec. 24 to Dec. 26, astir 8,000 flights were canceled, according to data published by online formation tracking level FlightAware. A number of airlines, including Delta, United, JetBlue and Alaska, blamed COVID-19 infections — particularly those connected to the highly transmissible omicron variant — for the difficulties.

In a connection connected Sunday, Delta said “winter upwind successful portions of the U.S. and the omicron variant” were some taking a toll connected the airline’s vacation play formation schedule. 

By aboriginal Monday morning, different astir 2,000 flights astir the satellite were canceled for the time pursuing the Christmas weekend, with astatine slightest 629 of those flights expected to person flown within, into oregon retired of the United States, according to FlightAware.

Read the afloat communicative on NBCNews.com here. 

Covid-19 cases proceed to impact formation crews, causing hundreds much flights to beryllium cancelled Sunday connected apical of the astir 1 1000 flights cancelled Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. Airports person already been bustling with travelers.