The Omicron variant continues to play the spoiler: flight cancellations have multiplied on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day, to the chagrin of many travelers around the world. At least 5,076 flights did not take place Friday and Saturday, according to FlightAware. The site also predicted more than 900 cancellations this Sunday.
At Montreal-Trudeau airport, 20 flights were canceled on Friday and Saturday, according to FlightAware, which lists flights around the world in real time and predicts arrival times.
Air Transat did not cancel any of its flights on December 24 and 25, told Press the spokesperson for the airline company Pierre Tessier.
“We have enough crews to keep our schedule going. Therefore, we are not affected like some other airlines, ”meanwhile wrote Air Canada media relations in an email sent to Press.
In the United States, the situation is more critical.
Several US airlines are grappling with personnel issues, due to the spread of COVID-19. On Friday, carriers Delta, United and JetBlue said the Omicron variant, with which employees were infected, could lead to flight cancellations. Delta canceled 15% of its on Saturday, according to FlightAware.
As of Friday, 690 flights departing from, arriving there or passing through the country were canceled. On Saturday, 951 thefts did not take place.
“We are not facing the same issues as our US counterparts and have had some of the highest customer numbers in recent days since the start of the pandemic. The vast majority of cancellations that we have posted in the last 48 hours are related to the weather “, clarified in writing the Canadian airline company WestJet.
Chinese airlines have canceled the most flights. China Eastern canceled 545 flights on Saturday, more than a quarter of its scheduled trips. Air China canceled 267, representing 24% of its scheduled flights.
As of Saturday, more than 6,350 flights around the world were also subject to delays.
Air Transat reviews its winter flight schedule
The airline Air Transat has made the decision to review its flight schedule from January 12 to February 25, “due to the meteoric rise of the Omicron variant and the impacts of the new restrictive measures put in place by the federal government,” explained the spokesperson Pierre Tessier.
“The vast majority of our flights [auront lieu] as expected during this period. Depending on how the situation evolves, we will determine whether other adjustments will be necessary for the rest of our winter program, ”he continued.
The canceled flights, however, caused the dissatisfaction of some travelers.
Frédéric Racine was to fly to Cuba at the beginning of February with his wife. On December 22, the airline contacted him by email to inform him that his flight was canceled, since Air Transat was reducing its flight offer for the winter.
We found it to be a short delay to cancel.
Frédéric Racine, who was to fly to Cuba at the beginning of February
Mr. Racine, in interview with Press, believes that several changes can take place in more than a month regarding sanitary measures.
He has not yet sought to replace his canceled flight. He is awaiting the next directives from the federal government, which will be aimed at travelers, in order to verify whether he can still obtain travel insurance.
Air Transat offers two options to travelers whose flight has been canceled: either accept a new itinerary to get to their destination, or cancel their flight and obtain a refund.
“There is still a lot of uncertainty”
At CAA-Quebec, where consumers can purchase travel insurance, Quebecers’ reluctance to travel has been felt since the rise of the Omicron variant.
“It put a chill on anyone who wanted to travel during the holiday season,” said CAA-Quebec spokesperson Nicolas Ryan. “There is still a lot of uncertainty,” he adds, noting that this is the reason many people cancel their trips.
Following government announcements or the release of new information regarding the outbreak of COVID-19 cases, more people are calling CAA-Quebec to ask questions about their trip.
“I think right now is not the right time to talk about optimism. We are a little more pessimistic about the current situation. Is it going to last two weeks, three weeks, a month, longer than that? That is the big variable that we ourselves do not yet know, ”said Nicolas Ryan.
With the Associated Press and Agence France-Presse