Nearly a thousand flights across the US were canceled on Christmas Day as Omicron took a heavy toll

US airlines canceled more than 900 flights for Christmas, the second day in a row of massive disruption as the number of Covid-19 infections rose along with flight crew.

The widespread cancellations on Saturday upended tens of thousands of travelers’ plans for the weekend.

A total of 913 Christmas Day flights, domestic and international, were canceled, up from 690 Christmas Eve flights, according to a running count on flight tracking website FlightAware.com.

More than 1,100 flights have been postponed.

The Christmas holidays are usually a prime time for air travel, but the rapid spread of the highly transmissible Omicron variant of COVID-19 has led to a sharp increase in infections, forcing airlines to cancel flights because pilots and cabin crew need to quarantine.

Public health officials are urging caution as a new omicron variant may become the dominant strain in the United States during the holiday season. (AP Photo / Marta Lavandier) Credit: Marta Lavandier / AP

An airline official said United Airlines has canceled 230 flights.

“This week’s surge in the number of Omicron cases nationwide has had a direct impact on our flight crews and the people who run our operations,” airline spokeswoman Maddy King said.

“We are working hard to rebook as many people as possible and move them on their way to vacation.”

FlightAware data showed Delta Air Lines had shut down 301 flights as of 6 a.m. EDT, while American Airlines said it had to cancel 90 flights from the mainland.

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This week’s surge in Omicron cases nationwide has had a direct impact on our flight crews

Globally, more than 2,590 flights were canceled on Saturday, and another 5,438 were delayed.

Among the US airports most affected were Hartford-Jackson International Airport in Atlanta, Newark Liberty International in New Jersey, Los Angeles International and JFK International in New York.

A family waits to check their bags on a British Airways flight to London. Travelers in the United States are grappling with several canceled flights amid an increase in COVID-19 cases. Credit: Environmental Protection Agency

The Omicron variant was first detected in November and now accounts for nearly three-quarters of US cases, and up to 90 percent in some areas, such as the East Coast.

The average number of new coronavirus cases in the United States has increased by 45 percent to 179,000 cases per day over the past week.

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We are working hard to rebook as many people as possible

While recent research indicates that Omicron produces milder disease and a lower rate of hospitalization than previous variants of COVID-19, health officials have maintained a cautious note about the outlook.

Before the Christmas holidays, Americans scrambled to get tested for COVID-19 and many continued with their travel plans.

US officials have said that people who have been fully vaccinated should feel comfortable continuing to travel on vacation.

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