A traveler wearing a protective mask waits to board a United Airlines flight at San Francisco International Airport.
Dozens of Christmas Eve flights were canceled by United Airlines and Delta Air Lines.
The spike in Omicron cases this week has had a direct impact on our flight crews and the people who run our operation. We had to cancel some flights and notify customers in advance of them coming to the airport.
United was trying to rebook travelers.
The CDC was asked by the airline executives to loosen the guidelines for people who test positive for Covid to five days from the current 10 because of potential staffing shortages and flight disruptions. The guidelines for healthcare workers were loosened by the CDC.
More than 131 mainline flights were canceled by United on Friday.
Bad weather in Salt Lake City and Seattle caused Delta to cancel more than 90 flights on Friday. Delta canceled more than 80 flights on Saturday.
The airline said that they had exhausted all their options and resources before canceling around 90 flights on Friday. We apologize for the delay in holiday travel plans. Delta people are working hard to get them to where they need to be quickly and safely on the next available flight.
The airlines have said that more than 98% of their employees are vaccine-free.
Delta and United have fewer flight disruptions than other airlines because of staffing shortages. Both airlines gave staff compensation to work peak holiday trips.
The increase in Covid cases around the country has not deterred airline executives from expecting some of the busiest days since the Pandemic began.
