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COVID-19 forces airlines to cancel hundreds of flights
Thousands of flights were canceled on Christmas Eve.
SEATTLE - Major airlines are canceling dozens of flights as illnesses tied to COVID-19 have created a domino effect on flight crews during the holiday season.
Delta, Alaska Airlines and United Airlines are among the list of airlines with extra cancellations.
Delta said the cancellations were related to both COVID-19 and severe weather, while United Airlines tied the cancellations to the new omicron variant.
"The nationwide spike in omicron cases this week has had a direct impact on our flight crews and the people who run our operation," United said in a statement.
Flight Aware placed 12 flights heading in, and 12 flights heading out of Seattle-Tacoma International Airport as being canceled in the past 24 hours – the number of delays were much higher.
Sara Ball and her family told FOX 13 they were relieved that their flight eventually made it to Seattle after sitting at a restaurant in California watching the delay lengthen by the hour.
"There was a moment where I thought our flight was going to be canceled," said Ball. "It said it was delayed one hour, then two hours delayed, then three hours – we were like: The flight is not happening."
The Ball family eventually had to cancel a Christmas Eve visit with friends, but they made it home in time to ensure they’d celebrate Christmas in their own home.
"My kids are wearing candy-can suit," said Ball, laughing. "We’re just trying to make the best of it."
Despite the flux of canceled flights, TSA screenings are showing a rebound in travel.
On Dec. 23, roughly 2.2 million people were screened, that’s slightly less than 2019 – while nearly tripling the number of people screened in 2019.
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