Air nightmare: more flights canceled before New Year 1:37
(CNN) -
Thousands of US flights were canceled on New Year's Day because a combination of COVID-19 and winter weather has slowed travel.
Flight cancellations have been on a steady trend since Christmas Eve, hitting a new peak this Saturday morning as millions fly over the holidays.
Data from the FlightAware website shows that more than 4,200 flights were canceled worldwide as of noon this Saturday, or about 10% of world time.
Airlines have already been grappling with the omicron variant, which has brought an unprecedented spike in covid cases.
Many airline employees have not been able to work.
The Federal Aviation Administration also warned that more of its own employees are testing positive, which may restrict flights.
Test positive for covid-19 on an airplane.
This is how it was isolated 2:28
Now, a new challenge adds to the traveler's problems: A major storm hits the Rocky Mountains and the Midwest, bringing heavy ice and snow. Chicago has been especially hard hit. Airlines have canceled more than half of the flights from Midway International Airport and more than 40% from O'Hare International Airport. Almost a third of the flights at Kansas City International Airport have been canceled. In Detroit, airlines canceled one in five flights.
Delta Air Lines told CNN Business that it projects that between 200 and 300 of its more than 4,000 daily flights will be canceled over the holiday weekend.
He also recommended that people traveling to Chicago, Detroit, Salt Lake City, Seattle, and the central and southern Rocky Mountain regions consider changing their travel plans due to weather conditions.
advertising
Southwest Airlines told CNN Business that all of its problems have been caused by time.
More than 11,000 flights have been canceled since Christmas Eve, according to data from FlightAware.
Chris Isidore contributed to this story.
