The new year is bringing more of the same old misery that air travelers in the United States have been enduring for more than a week. Airlines are blaming wintry weather and high numbers of sickouts due to the rising number of COVID-19 infections around the country. According to tracking service FlightAware, more than 2,600 U.S. flights and nearly 4,600 worldwide had been canceled by late Saturday afternoon. That's the highest single-day toll yet since just before Christmas, when airlines began blaming staffing shortages on increasing COVID-19 infections among crews. But weather, not the virus, was the culprit in Chicago, where Southwest Airlines suspended flights because of the grim forecast.
LM Otero/AP
To prevent the spread of COVID-19, air travelers wear masks at Love Field in Dallas, Friday, Dec. 31, 2021. Flight cancellations surged again on the last day of 2021, with airlines blaming it on crew shortages related to the spike in COVID-19 infections. The new year is bringing more of the same old misery that air travelers in the United States have been enduring for more than a week. Airlines are blaming wintry weather and high numbers of sickouts due to the rising number of COVID-19 infections around the country. (AP Photo/LM Otero)
Posted at 7:21 PM, Jan 01, 2022
and last updated 2022-01-01 19:21:00-05
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