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U.S. flights have dropped almost 1,000 Christmas Day trips thanks to Omicron Correspondent Reuters

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© Reuters. GOOD PICTURES: Travelers line up for vacation time as a coronavirus Omicron threatens to escalate demonstrations at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport in Atlanta, Georgia, US December 22, 2021. REUTERS / Elijah Nouvelage

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Author Humeyra Pamuk and Joel Schectman

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – US planes dropped nearly 1,000 flights on Saturday, the second day of a series of high-level flights due to the COVID-19 epidemic halted some pilots and co-workers, intensifying plans for thousands of holiday trips over the Christmas weekend. .

957 Christmas Day flights, including domestic and international flights, have been canceled, from 690 Christmas Day, according to FlightAware.com. About 2,000 flights were delayed.

At least one plane said it expected hundreds of people to be evacuated on Sunday.

Christmas holidays are often the busiest time of the year, but the rapid spread of Omicron’s widespread species has led to an increase in the incidence of COVID-19, forcing airlines to restrict flights because pilots and crew members need to be isolated.

United Airlines suspended 230 flights while American Airlines (NASDAQ 🙂 suspended 90 times, representatives of the companies said in a separate statement.

“The global increase in Omicron cases this week has had a profound effect on pilots and the people who run our operations,” United spokesman Maddie King said. He also said that the cuts make up a small portion of the 4,000 US trips each day during the holidays.

“We are trying to reserve as many people as possible and take them on vacation,” he said.

The winter season Omicron forced Delta Air Lines (NYSE 🙂 to check 344 times on Saturday, about 3,000 scheduled times, “having done all it could to prevent the eviction,” a company spokesman said, adding that it may insist on Sunday.

“Delta expects more than 300 of its tours to be completed by Sunday, Dec. 26,” a spokesman said. “The people of Delta are working together day and night to re-operate the aircraft and staff instead to find customers where they need to be as fast and secure as possible.”

Globally, FlightAware data has shown that more than 2,700 flights were suspended on Saturday and another 7,049 were delayed, from 5.30 pm EST (2230 GMT).

Among the US airports most affected were Hartsfield-Jackson International in Atlanta, Newark Liberty International in New Jersey, Los Angeles International and New York’s JFK International. Six of the 10 airports in the world most affected by the ban were Chinese.

Not all aircraft were affected in the same way. A spokesman for Southwest Airlines (NYSE 🙂 said there was no problem talking to airliner on Saturday.

The Omicron variant was first identified in November and now accounts for about three-quarters of US cases and about 90% in other areas, such as the Eastern Seaboard.

The number of new U.S. coronavirus cases increased by 45% to 179,000 per day last week, according to Reuters.

Although recent research shows that Omicron produces fewer infections and more hospital admissions than older versions of COVID-19, health officials have been careful about their perceptions.

Before the Christmas holidays, Americans ran the COVID-19 test and many went ahead with their travel plans.

U.S. officials say people who have been vaccinated should be free to go on vacation.


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