Jacqueline Stanton was excited to be reunited with her parents for the first time since February 2020, when she last saw them. Govit-19 The epidemic began.
Stanton said she and her husband were looking forward to boarding their plane Christmas Morning from Chicago to Sacramento, California, where his family resides. But on Thursday night, she received a text message from United Airlines informing her that their flight had been canceled.
“It’s a little disgusting,” Stanton, 36, said Friday.
Stanton was one of thousands of passengers expected to return home for Christmas this year. Airlines around the world have canceled thousands of flights Amid the spread of the Omigron variant.
This is so frustrating. Everything should be ok and hit Omigron.
Jacqueline Stanton, Chicago resident
Global airlines have jointly canceled more than 3,700 flights for Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. Flight Aware. Of those canceled, more than 1,000 are planned inside or outside the United States
Several major airlines, including United, Delta and Alaska, said they had been forced to cancel hundreds of Christmas Eve flights. Omigron variant Their staff and team members became infected.
On Friday, United reduced a total of 187 flights; Delta, 166; And Alaska, 11, according to aviation awareness.
“The increase in Omigron cases across the country this week has had a direct impact on our flight crew and the people who operate our operations,” United Airlines said in a statement. The company said it would re-book as many passengers as possible.
Delta apologized, blaming places like Omigran variation and severe weather Seattle and Salt Lake City For cancellations.
On Thursday, Alaska Airlines canceled 17 flights, and on Friday the airline said in a statement that further cancellations could occur “in this dynamic situation”.
An American Airlines spokesman said the cancellation was not planned. “Things are running smoothly,” he told the Southwest Airlines Associated Press. Other airlines did not immediately respond to requests for comment on Friday’s schedule.
The highly conductive Omigron variant quickly grew into account Nearly three-quarters of Govt cases Millions of people had booked their vacation plans last week.
Holiday air travel was expected to almost triple Compared to the same period last year, the American Automobile Association reported on December 14th. This month, 109 million Americans are expected to travel on planes, vehicles and other modes of transport.
Many took up their complaints on social media about the last-minute itinerary.
“Unfortunately @ Delta canceled our flight at 6am 5.5 hours before departure,” one wrote. Twitter. “I got up at 3:30 in the morning and took a Sudafed (so I wouldn’t sleep for 12-18 hours), so we got in the car before checking emails / notifications.”
He continued: “Flights before 9am can be canceled before 12+ hours.”
Another Twitter user Wrote: “When I leave Honolulu all kinds of flights are delayed or canceled. Airlines with low staff and diseases take its toll.”
As a high school chemistry teacher, Stanton said he waited patiently for the winter holidays to finally meet his family.
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But as the number of cases increased across the country, the Chicago resident said he was more concerned and willing to take additional precautionary measures, such as a double mask on the plane. She was still clinging on in the hope that she would be reunited with her family after a gap of almost two years.
Those hopes were quickly shattered when she received the text message.
“It’s so frustrating,” Stanton said. “Everything should have been fine, and then Omigron should have struck.”
Stanton said he received a full refund for his flight after “a lot of confusion” in dealing with customer service.
For now, she and her husband are planning to celebrate Christmas for the first time at the home they bought earlier this year. Stanton said he uses this year as an opportunity to “discover what our Christmas traditions will be” and try to be positive.
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