New Year Brings More Canceled Flights for Air Travelers

For aerial travelers, the caller twelvemonth picked up wherever the aged 1 near disconnected – with tons of frustration.

By precocious greeting Saturday connected the East Coast, much than 2,400 U.S. flights and astir 4,200 worldwide had been canceled, according to tracking work FlightAware.

That is the highest single-day toll yet since conscionable earlier Christmas, erstwhile airlines began blaming staffing shortages connected expanding COVID-19 infections among crews. More than 12,000 U.S. flights person been canceled since Dec. 24.

Saturday’s disruptions weren’t conscionable owed to the virus, however. Wintry upwind made Chicago the worst spot successful the state for travelers, with 800 flights scrubbed astatine O’Hare Airport and much than 250 astatine Midway Airport. Forecasts called for 9 inches of snow. Denver, Detroit and Newark, New Jersey, were deed with astatine slightest 100 cancellations each.

Southwest Airlines, which has large operations astatine Chicago Midway and Denver, canceled much than 450 flights nationwide, oregon 13% of its schedule, by midmorning. American, Delta, United and JetBlue scrubbed much than 100 flights apiece.

SkyWest, a determination bearer that operates flights nether the names American Eagle, Delta Connection and United Express, grounded much than 400 flights, oregon 21% of its schedule.

Among planetary carriers, China Eastern scrubbed much than 500 flights, oregon astir one-fourth of its total, and Air China canceled much than 200 flights, one-fifth of its schedule, according to FlightAware.

Airlines accidental they are taking steps to trim cancellations. United is offering to wage pilots triple oregon much of their accustomed wages for picking up unfastened flights done mid-January. Southwest and others person besides raised premium wage for immoderate workers.

When wintertime upwind deed the Pacific Northwest earlier this week, Alaska Airlines urged customers to hold immoderate “non-essential” trips that were planned done this weekend. With afloat flights implicit the New Year's holiday, the hose said it wasn't definite it could rebook stranded passengers for astatine slightest 3 days.

Travelers who stuck to the roads alternatively of the skies faced challenges, too. Transportation officials successful the Midwest warned motorists that a premix of rainfall and snowfall could marque roads slippery and trim visibility, starring to hazardous driving conditions.