On the initial day of 2022, approximately 2,500 flights departing from or arriving at U.S. airports were scrubbed. This extended a significant disruption to air travel, now in its ninth day, fueled by the omicron variant’s spread and a concurrent blizzard.
By 1:30 p.m. ET (6:30 p.m. GMT), a total of 2,482 flight cancellations had been tallied nationwide, exceeding half of the global cancellations (4,304) on Saturday. This figure marks a rise in flight disruptions compared to previous days.
Chicago, situated in the U.S. Northwest, bore the brunt of a snowstorm’s impact, suffering the highest number of flight cancellations globally. O’Hare International Airport experienced 402 departure and 425 arrival cancellations. Midway Airport added another 130 departure and 143 arrival cancellations to the tally. Denver (Colorado) and Detroit (Michigan) followed closely behind.
The impact of COVID-19 infections on airline staffing shortages was highlighted by United Airlines‘ decision to offer pilots triple their usual pay for much of January to mitigate cancellations.
A Friday statement from United to CNBC revealed an agreement with the pilots’ union. Pilots working flights between December 30th and January 3rd will receive over three times their standard salary. This incentive is extended to those accepting extra flights between January 4th and 29th.
The statement also acknowledged a substantial decline in available pilots due to the omicron variant’s rapid spread.
Among global airlines, China Eastern suffered the most significant number of cancellations (513) on Saturday, mirroring trends from previous days. Next were Southwest (U.S., 472 cancellations), SkyWest (U.S., 437 cancellations), and Air China (226 cancellations).
Agencia EFE
