Delta Air Lines and United Airlines have already cancelled hundreds of flights this morning, as staffing shortages impact flight operations over the Christmas holiday.
Christmas Meltdown Plagues Delta Air Lines And United Airlines
As of noon ET, Delta Air Lines has cancelled 295 flights and delayed 87 flights while United Airlines has cancelled 238 flights and delayed 59 flights. Yesterday, Delta cancelled 173 flights and delayed 215 flights while United cancelled 200 flights and delayed 315 flights. Today’s cancellations represent 14% of overall flights for Delta and 12% of flights for United.
In a memo to reservation agents reviewed by Live and Let’s Fly, United places the blame on omicron variant.
The nationwide spike in Omicron cases this week has had a direct impact on our flight crews and the people who run our operation.
As a result, we’ve unfortunately had to cancel some flights and our team is working hard to notify impacted customers in advance of them coming to the airport.
There may be an increase in call volumes on this topic as we work through the cancellations.
With flight cancellations already approaching 300 per carrier, Delta and United are approaching a meltdown. While Delta blames bad weather and both Delta and United blame the omicron variant, the culprit is staffing…not enough staff willing to work extra hours, too many staff calling in sick, and a pilot shortage that continues even as 2021 comes to a close.
Tips If Your Flight Is Delayed Or Cancelled
If you find your flight is delayed or cancelled today, first checked to see if you have been automatically rebooked. Both Delta and United have proactively tried to re-route impacted passengers, when possible.
Should you not be rebooked or the new schedule not work, you can expect long hold times to reach a reservations agent or long lines at airports.
To minimize your wait time, try to rebook your travel on the Delta or United app. Both have become better at offering alternative travel plans. If you do have to reach an agent, both Delta and United have a hit-or-miss call back feature, so try reaching out on Twitter.
With United, you can try its “agent on demand” option, though wait times to speak to an agent via that platform are also long.
>Read More: United Airlines Introduces “Agent On Demand”
CONCLUSION
Both Delta and United have cancelled hundreds of flights this morning after a rough operational day on Christmas Eve. Check your flight status before heading to the airport and understand that we will likely see more delays and additional cancellations as the day progresses.
No comment on this story but Merry Christmas to Matt and huge Thanks for allowing us the freedom to comment here uncensored for the most part.
May it be a travel filled, profitable and enjoyable New Year to him as well!
Whats a meltdown Matthew? I work for UA Express.. we operated 98% of our flights, I believe United mainline operated over 90% as well. Not 100, not good… but whats wrong with the media? Please stop over-dramatizing things. Its not a meltdown and im sure very few people were inconvenienced This is flying, its incredible we can do what we do and move across the country in the matter of hours. It will not be perfect. We need healthy crews, good weather, good airplanes. We know things will happen. For someone who is supposed to be an advocate to aviation, shouldn’t;t you be careful about the words you use that help create false perceptions of the actual situation ?
You tell me. I consider cancelling hundreds of flights at the last-minute a meltdown, even if not on the grand scale of what we saw at Spirit, Southwest, and American earlier in 2021.
“Very few people were inconvenienced!!??” Simmer you a comedian? Tell that to the
THOUSANDS who didn’t get to where they were going on Christmas weekend! Did they get any compensation or is Omnicron an act of GOD. I wouldn’t put it past the airlines to take advantage that way. Flight is incredible but it needs to be perfect. Tell people you can only promise them a 90% chance of getting to where they want to go on a critical weekend and the sounds you will hear besides crickets are the sounds of a stampede for the exits. Sounds like Mr. Simmer is happy only doing his/her job well 90% of the time. Bad JuJu…..
Dear Matt, the complex working of an airline depends on thousands of factors that just one piece not working causes chaos. Meltdown is an extremely harsh word to use. Let’s see about variables: flight crew transportation from home/hotel jammed due to wx, jammed road, fire/police emergency, etc. Security breach. Luggage system breakdown; aircraft fuel delivery issues; pandemic shortages, wx issues, people shortages, wx conditions, plane emergencies, unruly passengers, airport emergency services problems, mechanic shortages, plane parts shortage, flat tires on equipment, food delivery issues, shall I go on? Ret Captain
I think what the public finds so distressing is that despite the fact that Omicron has been with us for a few weeks, it wasn’t until 12/24 when crews decided they couldn’t work. It may very well be a coincidence, but it’s interesting how other US carriers haven’t been impacted in the same way at the same time.
Around 90% is horrible. One in ten are pretty horrible odds you don’t make it where you need on Christmas
I booked an international I-class award with MileagePlus on a *A partner. My flight was cancelled, so UA offered to give me an even exchange on their own metal as long as JN was available within 7 days of my original date.
If my UA-operated flight gets canceled, am I simply out of luck? There aren’t any other UA flights to my destination, and partners don’t have I-class space available.
I could probably use my credit card’s travel insurance benefit to cover or subsidize a flight home, but with the sheer number of changes I’ve made to this ticket, proving that I paid the entirety of the taxes/fees on that card will be tricky.
I’d hardly call this a meltdown – they’re controlled cancellations to prevent a meltdown. We should be thanking them for being proactive rather than running the rails off the operation.
Call it what you want – this certainly isn’t a collapse – but I consider hundreds of last-minute cancellations a meltdown…and I’m not convinced omicron can be scapegoated.
Trust me its not even close to a meltdown .
Sorry Simmer I could only read 90% of your post.
You will forever now be known as Mr. 90%…..
American Airlines must have given its crew a more potent vaccine. No, Delta and United just didn’t plan as well. Current vaccine has poor omicron coverage and boosters just average coverage.
So true. Why haven’t southwest and American has the same amount of cancellations in relation to their size??
Sounds like bullshit spin to me…
The experts in science (remember them?) oh, and not the lying hacks on fox, say the vaccines work well on the big O at keeping symptoms mild or non existent. Hospital ICU’s are full because they have few beds available and those beds are overwhelmingly occupied by unvaccinated patients.
Sorry derek, you don’t even meet
Mr. Simmers 90% truth level…..
Oh, the problem with trying to leave your name uncapitalized is spell check. It has a secret capitalizing function…..
Covid became the most lame excuse for incompetence and laziness. Until people realize that Omicron is as mild as a flu and almost nobody dies from this we will continue living in this BS world. Got Omicron, stay home if have symptoms otherwise life goes on. Stop with this BS of quarantine for a virus that no longer does much to anyone. I got the first Covid and testes d positive even after 4 months of having it. My brother got Omicron and tested negative after 5 days of having it. Also, time to stop the mask theater. Just flew 10 hours on an international flight. Everyone had to wear a stupid mask until dinner was served when 300 people sitting inches of each other took the masks off and enjoyed food and beverages for a good 30 to 40 minutes with no masks. Seriously??? What hypocrisy? Did the airlines cut a deal with Covid so it doesn’t infect people when they are eating?
Spot on my friend. I personally am 100% done giving a crap. Each person should take whatever personal precautions they think is necessary. Time for governments to step aside and move along. If they want to help it should be in further vaccine and treatment development to make AVAILABLE for those that want it.
Don’t you mean 90%?
I thought 90% was good enough? Since when have you given it 100%? Trying to out do United which is amazing?
Everyone that hasn’t a clue on the staffing operation, loves to lash out. As an employee of UA, I know from first hand, how the Omicron variant has affected sick calls… and tho there are ALOT of ignorance people out there that think just because you’re vaccinated you’re free from catching the virus.. think again. Just because this variant may cause mild symptoms, one must still quarantine and not be out in public. Perhaps it’s best if we all came to work with these mild symptoms and infect everyone; after all, you wouldn’t know… and why would we care? Every carrier handles these situations differently.. so don’t compare who does what and how, that’s a real bullshit analogy Batchcaloupe.
How convenient that crews and employees are falling ‘ill’ with Omicron the day prior to the biggest holiday of the year, and the airlines (who were pumped full of money by the public to prevent what?…staffing issues!) are trying to use this as an excuse. These are such disgusting companies that fail to learn from their mistakes again and again.
Amazing how AA and WN provided strong incentives to employees, and are not facing anywhere near these issues…
Better watch out Matthew! A lot of commenters on the View From The Wing blog are puking ( verbally) all over Mr. Leff for calling these things “meltdowns.”
They’ll be coming for you next!
Haven’t looked, but this seems like a meltdown to me considering it is only happening at two airlines.
To Matthew: What Dave Edwards said!
American offered a triple time bonus to flight attendants who had perfect attendance from right before Thanksgiving until Jan 2nd. for all the hours flown during that period. Now that’s an incentive. And in case an early or late absence barred that, there was still an incentive for trips over the holidays themselves.
Good thing Kirby forced his employees to get vaccinated. It seems to really be working.
Remember Kirby being celebrated at the media for his “vision” on the mandate, and him then glpating about the smooth operations United will now enjoy?
It’s incredible how two years in, established wisdom keeps failing, on its own terms (“Biden will shut the virus down”) every few weeks. The paradigm is then refined some, and becomes the new orthodoxy. Deviations from which constitute a war on truth, and an attack on science.
I may be wrong, but this Omicron excuse is BS. The airlines are still struggling with reduced crews and crew’s reaction to the vaccine mandates. Aviation authorities should investigate.
My brother in law is a UA pilot on ULA, I am sickened by UA management and inhumane resources in this company, just because he does not want to be a lab rat they put him on the street, I hope their group sues the hell out of united for all the pain and suffering they have caused my sister’s family. Scott Kirby preaches about safety but it has nothing to do with safety what so ever it’s all about power to force people to do something against their will, the example of eating In airplne is a perfect example how does that make sense, when we eat the virus does not come out into the air, stupidity to it’s max. Or in the Old days deplane by row numbers, seriously you just sat in the cabin for hours and now at the gate do not stand up cause you might infect someone in the aisle OMG who are these people who make these rules. Plus why should anyone be forced to put a so called vaccine in their body NOT knowing what side affect it could have, just because it workes for some it doesn’t mean it works for me, I know multiple friends who lost their first class medical and can NEVER fly again, they have so many painfull side affects, what kind of life would that be? Are you willing to take that risk? Absolutely not, these pilots had no issues prior to their so called vaccine, if UA was concerned about safety they would not force people and why isn’t it that Scott Kirby would not sign a agreement that if you take the vaccine because of my mandate And you loose your medical UA will compensate the pilot with full benefits and wht he was expected to make. They just don’t care, it’s the socialist and liberal agenda, in order for them to feel safe I should sacrifice myself so that they can feel safe, what a bunch of crap. If you don’t feel safe STAY HOME. Shame on UA.
Data point: flew over Christmas eve. ATL-BOS had to be delayed ~1hr because we were told that the pilot suddenly had a family emergency. Luckily another pilot flying into ATL was willing to sub in and take us to BOS.
Seems like the big 4 could always have a “meltdown” whenever there’s a big holiday. IIRC last time around it was the other 2, AA and WN, who has hit hard.
Matt,
You need to fix your article or your title. Your title says it is a meltdown and your article says approaching a meltdown.
I personally believe the title is misleading.
Approaching a meltdown? Looks like United pulled out a miracle and Delta is right behind. Only 5% of the UA flights cancelled yesterday with Delta at 7%.
No comments on the other US Airlines? Alaska cancelled 28%, almost 200 flights. Spirit was 10%. JetBlue was at 12%. Allegiant was 16%.
When American and Southwest had their actual Meltdown, it took weeks to fix. Somehow Delta and United only took a day to get back in shape. I would not consider anything fixable in a day anywhere close to a meltdown. I think you jumped the gun a little bit on the “Approaching Meltdown” that never happened.
We’re taking about different days…