Covid wreaks havoc on holiday travel
The travel chaos that broke out during Christmas is spilling over into the week leading to New Year’s, as global airlines have canceled thousands of flights more on Monday due to rising Covid-19 cases among staff.
Over 2,350 flights have been canceled and nearly 6,100 delayed, with Chinese and US airlines responsible for the majority of the interruptions, according to the FlightAware data tracking website.
The massive disruption in the US reportedly occurred due to crew members testing positive or isolating. Meanwhile, Hong Kong is reportedly banning all Korean Air flights for two weeks amid positive cases among some arrivals.
All in all, around 8,000 flights were grounded over the Christmas weekend that started on Friday, shattering hopes of traveling and spending time with family and friends.
READ MORE: Mass flight cancellations continue as Omicron spreads
Most of the flights canceled on Monday were by Chinese companies, FlightAware data shows. They include China Eastern, which canceled 368 flights, and Air China with 141 cancelations. United is currently the worst hit among US companies, with 84 cancelations.
Last week, the fourth biggest air carrier in the US warned that the latest surge in Omicron cases “had a direct impact on our flight crews and the people who run our operation,” as employees were required to self-isolate after coming into contact with people who have been infected.
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