As omicron cases spike, JetBlue Airways is cutting thousands of flights from December to January due to staffing concerns.
"Like many businesses and organizations, we have seen a surge in the number of sick calls from Omicron," JetBlue officials said in a statement. "To give our customers as much notice as possible to make alternate plans and reaccommodate them on other flights, we are proactively reducing our schedule through January 13."
The airline has cut approximately 1,280 flights between Dec. 30 and Jan. 13.
The reduction comes as other carriers, including United Airlines, Delta Air Lines and American Airlines, have canceled more than 4,000 flights since Christmas Eve, struggling with diminishing staffing numbers.
"The health and safety of our crewmembers and customers remains our top priority as we work through this pandemic, and we sincerely apologize for the inconvenience that these schedule changes bring," JetBlue said.
The schedule reduction is meant to ease potential day-of cancellations, as airline officials expect COVID-19 case numbers to surge for the next week or two.
Anyone traveling with JetBlue should monitor their flight status, review all email notifications and arrive at the airport early, especially for those checking bags or traveling internationally as it is possible wait times will be longer than normal.
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