JetBlue Canceling 1,280 Flights As Omicron Cases Surge

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MIAMI (CBSMiami/CNN) – Due to a increasing fig of unit members falling sick from COVID-19 infections, JetBlue Airways is reducing its docket by astir 1,280 flights from Thursday done January 13.

“We expect the fig of COVID cases successful the northeast — wherever astir of our crewmembers are based — to proceed to surge for the adjacent week oregon two,” a JetBlue spokesperson said successful a statement. “This means determination is simply a precocious likelihood of further cancellations until lawsuit counts commencement to travel down.”

The 1,280 flights magnitude to astir 10% of JetBlue’s schedule.

Airlines person been canceling hundreds of flights each time successful the United States since Christmas Eve arsenic they grapple with unit shortages owed to COVID-19 infections and atrocious upwind successful parts of the country. JetBlue is based successful New York, which recorded caller grounds precocious of 67,000 affirmative cases connected Tuesday.

More than 1,000 flights person been canceled within, into, oregon retired of the US arsenic of Thursday, according to FlightAware. JetBlue canceled 17% of its flights Thursday with different 4% flights delayed.

European airlines are besides canceling a tiny fig flights amid record-breaking numbers of COVID-19 cases successful respective European nations.

German hose Lufthansa said precocious it, too, volition cancel 10% of its wintertime formation docket arsenic the pandemic continues to deed the aviation industry.

In an interrogation with Frankfurter Allgemeine Sonntagszeitung past week, Lufthansa CEO Carsten Spohr said that owed to “a crisp driblet successful bookings” the hose volition person to cancel 33,000 flights from mid-January to February 2022 oregon 10% of the group’s wintertime formation schedule.

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