Nearly 11,500 flights cancelled worldwide due to rapid spreading of Omicron

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• Dec 28, 2021 | Deleted

Digital Desk: Ruining holiday plans for thousands of people, many airlines companies worldwide cancelled almost 11,500 flights since Friday. 

"More than 2,500 flights have been cancelled on Monday as Covid-19 cases surge across the globe. Of the more than 2,500 cancelled flights, 1,000 were within, into or out of the US," reported CNN. Globally, airlines cancelled more than 6,000 flights on Christmas eve, Christmas and the day after Christmas.

With more than 260 flights, SkyWest had the highest number of cancellations among US carriers. The airline has cited both weather conditions at hubs and "increased Covid cases and quarantines among crew members" for the cancellations while apologising for the inconvenience and working to resume normal operations as soon as possible.

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One hundred forty-one flights have been cancelled by Alaska Airlines. "We're working as quickly as possible to get all our affected guests re-booked on other flights, while operating safely," Alaska Airlines said.

 Omicron's impact on staffing and bad weather conditions influenced Delta, United, American and JetBlue flight disruptions over the holiday weekend.

Delta and JetBlue have called on the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to shorten the quarantine period for vaccinated individuals to five days to ease crew shortages. Many airlines are also offering bonus payments to employees to cover extra shifts to avoid more cancellations.

The US Department of Transportation requires airlines to offer a refund when they cancel a flight, regardless of the reason or type of ticket purchased. However, delays are trickier because while the same rule applies to significant delays, each airline interprets "significant delays" differently.