Air travel faced significant disruptions across the United States on Saturday. Inclement weather in numerous areas compounded existing global aviation issues stemming from the Omicron variant‘s surge in Covid-19 cases.
By 11:00 p.m. Washington time (04:00 GMT Sunday), FlightAware tallied 2,725 US flight cancellations—over half of the 4,618 global cancellations.
Furthermore, 6,072 domestic US flights experienced delays on Saturday, a fraction of the day’s 11,136 global delays.
SkyWest bore the brunt of the impact, reporting a 23% cancellation rate, followed by SouthWest at 13%, according to FlightAware data.
Chicago’s northern airports were especially hard hit, with approximately half of all arrivals and departures grounded due to adverse weather; a blizzard was anticipated overnight.
Travelers should brace themselves for continued difficulties on Sunday, the post-Christmas travel rush. FlightAware predicts 1,497 US cancellations and 2,538 worldwide.
The highly transmissible Omicron variant continues to significantly impact global air travel. Many pilots and crew are absent due to infection or quarantine, leaving airlines short-staffed and prompting widespread cancellations.
Around 7,500 flights were scrapped globally during the Christmas weekend.
02/01/2022 05:18:48 –
Washington (AFP) –
