Emergence Of Omicron Variant Causing Flight Cancellations On Christmas
By: KDKA-TV News Staff
PITTSBURGH (KDKA) - Hundreds of flights across the country on Christmas Eve, leaving would-be travelers frustrated.
Here in Pittsburgh, flights out of Pittsburgh International Airport have not been impacted so far. There have only been four cancellations in the past 24 hours, according to Flight Aware.
The only complaints people had were related to trying to get to the arrival doors. There were long lines to pick up loved ones at baggage claim.
Some people said it took them 15 minutes to get through to just make it to the door.
"There was a very long line, and the cop said that there was 20 planes landing in one hour," Nathan Champion said.
As the country has seen hundreds of thousands of new COVID-19 cases due to the Omicron variant, United and Delta have been forced to cancel hundreds of flights.
A staffing shortage has caused United to cancel more than 150 flights.
"The nationwide spike in Omicron cases this week has had a direct impact on our flight crews and the people who run our operation," a United Airlines spokesperson told CBS News in a statement. "As a result, we've unfortunately had to cancel some flights and are notifying impacted customers in advance of them coming to the airport."
Meanwhile, the CEO of Delta has asked the CDC to reduce the quarantine period from 10 days to 5 for vaccinated workers.
For those traveling this holiday, the CDC urges people to be fully vaccinated and wear a well-fitting mask when in public, indoor settings.
