NEW YORK (WCBS 880) -- JetBlue will cancel hundreds of flights through mid-January as the carrier expects more COVID-19 infections among its crew members as the omicron variant spreads through the U.S.
The New York–based airline will cut more than 1,280 flights from Thursday through mid-January, according to CNBC, which obtained a letter sent to staff Tuesday from JetBlue leaders.
“This past week has been one of our most difficult operating periods during the pandemic,” the department leaders wrote. “The exponential growth in Omicron cases over just a couple of days is at a level that no one could reasonably prepare for.”
The flight cancelations are a way for the carrier “to get even further ahead of the expected increase in Omicron cases,” the leaders said.
The over 1,280 flights being canceled are about 10% of JetBlue’s daily schedule, according to CNBC.
A JetBlue spokesman told the Wall Street Journal that the airline has seen a “surge in the number of sick calls from Omicron.”
“We entered the holiday season with the highest staffing levels we’ve had since the pandemic began and are using all resources available to cover our staffing needs,” the spokesman said.
A JetBlue spokesperson told Reuters that the company expects “the number of Covid cases in the northeast -- where most of our crewmembers are based -- to continue to surge for the next week or two.”
“This means there is a high likelihood of additional cancellations until case counts start to come down,” the spokesperson said.
A spike in COVID-19 cases has led carriers to cancel thousands of flights across the U.S. in recent days.
More than 1,000 flights were already canceled nationwide Thursday, according to FlightAware. There were about 1,500 cancellations for flights entering, leaving or inside the U.S. on Monday, about 1,300 on Tuesday and over 1,000 on Wednesday.
JetBlue, Delta and United have all said that the omicron variant was causing enough staffing issues that flights were canceled.
Airlines have had to cobble together flight crews as pilots, flight attendants and ground crews become infected with COVID-19 or are exposed to others who have been.
Weather has also impacted airlines, as the Pacific Northwest was slammed with cold and heavy snow over the weekend.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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