Thousands of flights axed as virus hits airline crews

As omicron fuels cancellations, Fauci eyes vaccine mandate for domestic travel

Flight disruptions in the United States showed few signs of abating Monday as many people embarked on their first trips in almost two years, and Dr. Anthony Fauci, the nation’s top infectious disease expert, raised the possibility of a vaccination requirement for air travel.

At least 2,400 more flights were canceled Monday, including about 900 U.S. flights, as the omicron variant is sending daily caseloads in parts of the U.S. soaring to levels higher than last winter’s pandemic peak.

While the cancellations were only a small percentage of overall flights, the problem threatened to extend into the holiday week.

“When you make vaccination a requirement, that’s another incentive to get more people vaccinated,” Fauci said on MSNBC on Monday. “If you want to do that with domestic flights, I think that’s something that seriously should be considered.”

Over the holiday weekend, airlines canceled thousands of flights as the omicron variant hit flight crews. In all, about 2,300 U.S. flights were canceled Saturday and Sunday, with more than 3,500 more grounded globally, according to FlightAware, which provides aviation data. On Sunday alone, more than 1,300 U.S. flights and nearly 1,700 additional ones worldwide were canceled.

While some of the groundings were caused by bad weather and maintenance issues, several airlines acknowledged that the current wave of coronavirus cases contributed significantly. A JetBlue spokesman said the airline had “seen an increasing number of sick calls from omicron.”

Twelve percent of JetBlue flights, 6% of Delta Air Lines flights, 5% of United Airlines flights and 2% of American Airlines flights Sunday had been canceled, according to FlightAware.

Southwest Airlines canceled 68 flights, or 1%, according to FlightAware, because of weather, said Dan Landson, a Southwest spokesman.

“We haven’t had any operational issues related to COVID,” he said in an email.

Traveling rebounded sharply this year, making the situation at airports worse: Roughly 2 million people passed through screening checkpoints each day last week and Sunday, according to the Transportation Security Administration. Airlines also expect lots of travel Jan. 2, a Sunday.

An airline trade group has asked the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to shorten the recommended isolation period for fully vaccinated employees who test positive to a maximum of five days, from 10 days, before they can return with a negative test.

“Swift and safe adjustments by the CDC would alleviate at least some of the staffing pressures and set up airlines to help millions of travelers returning from their holidays,” said Derek Dombrowski, a JetBlue spokesman.

The flight attendants’ union, however, has argued that reductions in recommended isolation times should be decided on “by public health professionals, not airlines.”