More Than 900 U.S. Flights Canceled Due To Omicron, Weather

ACROSS AMERICA — Thousands of travelers in the United States are having their holiday travel plans as more than 900 flights to, from and within the country have been canceled Sunday, according to FlightAware's live tracker.

As of 1 p.m. Sunday, 927 U.S. flights have been canceled and 3,169 flights delayed. For Monday, 99 flights already have been canceled, according to the tracker.

The spread of the omicron variant as well as winter weather in parts of the country are to blame for the delays and cancellations, according to national airlines.

"We're experiencing [omicron] much like the rest of the country across the board within our company," Delta Airlines spokesperson Allison Ducote told Patch.

Winter weather is playing a role in delays and cancellations for Delta, and omicron-related staffing issues are exacerbating the situation. Staff shortages are due to not only positive tests but instances of exposure to people who tested positive, a precaution taken by the airline "to ensure a safe work environment," according to Ducote.

"We apologize to customers for the delay in their holiday travel plans," Delta said in a statement. "Delta people are continuing to work together around the clock to reroute and substitute aircraft and crews to get customers where they need to be as quickly and safely as possible."

Delta canceled 161 flights out of 4,155 total mainline and connection flights scheduled Sunday, and roughly 40 more cancelations are forecasted for the day. That's fewer cancellations than predicted Saturday, according to the company. Delta expects that around 40 flights may be canceled Monday.

United canceled 98 flights because of COVID-19 related staffing concerns out of more than 4,000 scheduled flights. About 50 percent of customers affected are slated to arrive at their final destination within four hours of their original arrival time, United spokesperson Maddie King told Patch.

Southwest Airlines is "working through a variety of weather challenges across parts of the country," but no delays or cancellations are because of COVID-19, a company spokesperson told Patch in an email.

"A number of COVID-19 related sick calls" caused American Airlines to preemptively cancel several flights scheduled for Sunday, according to company spokesperson Derek Wall. The company gave travelers advance notice and is working to rebook anyone affected.