United, Delta Airlines Axe Nearly 200 Christmas Eve Flights Over Omicron-Related Staffing Shortages

United Airlines preemptively canceled more than a hundred flights scheduled for Friday, the company said on Thursday. The airline’s statement acknowledged that the “nationwide spike in Omicron cases” had directly impacted its flight crews and forced 112 cancellations. Roughly an hour later, it emerged that Delta Airlines had pulled the plug on roughly 85 of its own Friday flights. Delta said that it had “exhausted all options and resources—including rerouting and substitutions of aircraft and crews” before making its decision. The two airlines had combined to cancel more than 190 flights as of Thursday evening.