United and Delta Cancel Around 200 Christmas Eve Flights

• Airline schedules affected by fast-spreading omicron strain
• Delta says move due to reasons including omicron and weather

NEW YORK (TIP): United Airlines Holdings Inc. is canceling over 100 flights on Friday, the day before Christmas, while Delta Air Lines Inc. has cut about 90.United said in an email Thursday, December 23 that a jump in omicron Covid-19 cases is affecting the availability of flight crews and ground personnel. Delta said its cancellations were due to a combination of reasons, including but not limited to potential inclement weather in some places and the impact of omicron.

“Delta teams have exhausted all options and resources — including rerouting and substitutions of aircraft and crews to cover scheduled flying — before canceling around 90 flights for Friday,” Delta said in an emailed statement Friday. The airline is still operating nearly 3,100 flights Friday.

The holidays are among the heaviest times for travel. The Transportation Security Administration was estimating Dec. 22 and 23 would be the busiest pre-Christmas travel dates nationally and locally, with Jan. 2 and 3 as the most crowded for post-holiday travel.

“We’ve unfortunately had to cancel some flights and are notifying impacted customers in advance of them coming to the airport,” United said. “We’re sorry for the disruption and are working hard to rebook as many people as possible and get them on their way for the holidays.”