Omicron: Nearly 6,000 flights canceled worldwide over Christmas weekend – 12/25/2021 at 10:12 pm

On December 24, 2021, John F. Kennedy was born in New York. Delta flights at Kennedy International Airport (AFP / Yuki IWAMURA)

Nearly 6,000 flights were canceled by airlines, while thousands of flights around the world were delayed over the Christmas weekend, with the Omigron variant of the Covit-19 disrupting travel over the holidays.

According to the Flightaware website, more than 2,650 flights were canceled to GMT at 8:40 pm on Saturday, of which 940 were international or domestic flights to the United States.

More than 6,350 flights were delayed worldwide.

According to the same source, about 2,400 cancellations and nearly 11,000 delays were identified on Friday, with more than 900 already scheduled for cancellation on Sunday.

Pilots, flight attendants and other crew had to be isolated after contracting the disease, which forced Lufthansa, Delta and United Airlines to cancel flights.

According to Flightaware, United Airlines had to cancel about 439 flights on Fridays and Saturdays, or 10% of what was planned.

“The peak of Omigron cases across the country this week has had a direct impact on our staff and the people who run our operations,” the U.S. agency said, adding that it was working to address the affected passengers.

Dashboard for flights departing from Los Angeles International Airport on December 24, 2021 (AFP / DAVID MCNEW)

Delta Airlines canceled more than 300 flights on Saturday and 170 flights the day before, again citing both Omicron and, occasionally, adverse weather, according to Flydeware. The airline argued that “delta groups have exhausted all options and resources.”

More than a dozen Alaska Airlines flights have been canceled by staff, who said they were “susceptible to the virus” and should be self-isolated in isolation.

– Chinese companies have been hit the hardest

Chinese airlines responsible for most cancellations: China Eastern reduced about 540 flights, over a quarter of its flight schedule, Air China canceled 267 flights, and was close to the quarter of its scheduled departures.

This cancellation disrupts the option of continuing this year’s trip for the holidays, after being severely affected by the 2020 Christmas epidemic.

Passengers line up to check-in at Los Angeles International Airport on December 24, 2021 (AFP / DAVID MCNEW)

The American Automobile Association estimates that between December 23 and January 2, more than 109 million Americans are scheduled to leave their immediate area by plane, train or car – 34% more than last year.

Fortunately, these disruptions had no effect on Santa Claus’ tour, which was carefully followed for decades by the North American Space Defense Command (NORAD).

NORAD has accurately calculated the 7,623,693,263 gifts distributed this year, following in the footsteps of Slate Thanksgiving, the company explains to the sensor placed on one of the reindeer’s noses.

This tradition sees its origins in a telephone mess. In 1955, a Colorado newspaper published a phone number that allowed children to call Santa Claus, mistyped a military command, and decided to pick up the game.

fff-rle / aue