Delta, United cancel Christmas Eve flights due to crew shortages
MSP expecting surge of travelers Sunday
At least eight Delta fights were canceled from Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport Friday morning as illnesses largely tied to the omicron variant of COVID-19 took a toll on flight crew numbers during the busy holiday travel season.
Three airlines, including Delta and United, were canceling flights worldwide and were scrambling to rebook holiday travelers.
Travelers were advised to check the status of their flights. In Minneapolis, travelers can check their flights here.
Germany-based Lufthansa said Friday it was canceling a dozen long-haul transatlantic flights over the Christmas holiday period because of a "massive rise" in sick leave among pilots.
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The cancellations on flights to Houston, Boston and Washington come despite a "large buffer" of additional staff for the period. The airline said it couldn't say whether COVID-19 was responsible.
Passengers were booked on other flights.
Lufthansa said in a statement that "we planned a very large buffer for the vacation period. But this was not sufficient due to the high rate of people calling in sick."
In the U.S., Delta Air Lines and United Airlines said they had to cancel dozens of Christmas Eve flights because of staff shortages tied to omicron.
"The nationwide spike in omicron cases this week has had a direct impact on our flight crews and the people who run our operation," United said in a statement to several news outlets. "As a result, we've unfortunately had to cancel some flights and are notifying impacted customers in advance of them coming to the airport."
The airline said it was canceling over 100 flights and working to rebook as many people as possible.
Delta said it canceled around 90 flights Friday because of the possibility of bad weather and the impact the omicron after it had "exhausted all options and resources — including rerouting and substitutions of aircraft and crews to cover scheduled flying."
It said in a statement to several outlets that it was trying to get passengers to their destinations quickly.
The MSP Airport is expecting large numbers of travelers this holiday season. The Metro Airports Commission estimates that the busiest day of holiday travel will be Sunday with 35,000 passengers clearing checkpoints. That compares to 21,000 passengers who cleared TSA checkpoints on the same day in 2020.
The cancellations come as coronavirus cases driven by the new variant further squeeze staffing at hospitals, police departments, supermarkets and other critical operations struggling to maintain a full contingent of front-line workers.
Countries including Spain and the U.K. have reduced the length of COVID-19 quarantines to ease staffing shortages by letting people return to work sooner after testing positive or being exposed to the virus.
Delta CEO Ed Bastian was among those who have called on the Biden administration to take similar steps or risk further disruptions in air travel.