PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — The rise in COVID-19 infections has not only stretched medical facilities this holiday weekend, but airlines as well. Flight cancellations have been a major issue nationwide, and persists on one of the busiest travel days of the year, the day after Christmas.
On Christmas Eve, Delta, United, and a number of other airlines cancelled 600 flights. That number grew to 950 on Christmas Day. Officials don't expect those issues to ease anytime soon.
Iesha is one passenger who spent the last day dealing with those issues. "Our original flight was Delta, and it happened that they canceled the flight," she said.
These cancellations are being blamed on a spike in omicron COVID-19 cases. Officials said the virus surge has directly affected flight operations personnel, leaving airlines short-staffed.
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Iesha said those operation issues followed them when they rebooked their trip from San Francisco to Philadelphia and had heating issues on the plane.
"So we had to connect to another flight which was Spirit. We got to the airport we had to wait almost another two hours," she recounted.
Abdul from Fresno, on the other hand, was one of the lucky travelers who managed to avoid delays or cancellations. "It was kind of hectic, but it's worth it to see your family at the end," he said.
In addition to COVID-19 issues, delays and cancellations, airports across the country have also dealt with a major influx of travelers through their gates. Many other travelers shared worries of passenger outbursts on their flights. To their surprise, however, they experienced no unruly conduct.
The Transportation Security Administration said its agents screened 2 million people on Wednesday, exceeding the number of travelers on that day in 2019, before the pandemic. Overall, the TSA said they expect nearly 30 million people will have flown this holiday season, between December 20 and January 3.
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