(The Center Square) – Monday began with thousands of more flight cancellations globally and nearly 5,000 delays as airlines continued to struggle with staffing issues during this holiday travel season.
Domestically, 851 flights within, into or out of the U.S. were canceled as of 10 a.m. eastern Monday, according to the tracking site FlightAware. An additional 1,481 flights in the U.S. were delayed.
Globally, more than 2,370 flights were canceled Monday as Christmas travelers sought to return home. More than 6,100 international flights were experiencing delays.
United Airlines canceled 87 flights as of 10 a.m. Monday, and American canceled 79.
The omicron variant, the dominant coronavirus variant currently infecting people in the U.S., is being blamed for much of the staffing shortages. Omicron is significantly more transmittable than earlier variants but early studies indicate its symptoms are far less severe on most individuals who contract it.
Bad weather in certain locations also is leading to cancellations.
JetBlue canceled 66 flights as of Monday morning, followed by Delta with 56 cancellations. Southwest has canceled 48 flights; Spirit, 36.
On Sunday, more than 1,500 flights within, into or out of the U.S. were canceled, while more than 3,200 were canceled globally.
Dan McCaleb is the executive editor of The Center Square. He welcomes your comments. Contact Dan at dmccaleb@thecentersquare.com.