Airlines canceled more than 750 flights in the United States by Wednesday morning, a sign of continuing stress as the industry tries to emerge from a days-long meltdown ahead of the New Year's holiday weekend.
The staffing shortages were caused by the fast-spreading Omicron variant of the coronaviruses, as well as foul winter weather, and began to mount the day before Christmas. More than 6 percent of scheduled flights were canceled on Sunday, when more than 1,500 flights were scrubbed out of or within the United States.
United Airlines grounded about 6 percent of its flights and Delta Air Lines canceled 4% of its schedule on Tuesday.
One of the busiest times for air travel is during this time, as the industry hopes to return to profitability after two years of losses.
Over the past week, more than 13 million people have been screened at airport security, down 18 percent from a similar period in 2019.
The industry is on track to end the year with fewer canceled flights than it did in 2019.
