Major flight cancellations continue as Omicron outbreak causes staffing shortage

Airlines across the United States have continued major flight cancellations as the COVID-19 Omicron variant outbreak continues to cause industry-wide staffing shortages. 

As of Wednesday morning, 856 flights in, out and within the U.S have been canceled, according to tracking service FlightAware.  United canceled 158 flights, Delta canceled 105 flights, and JetBlue and Spirit canceled 96 and 58 flights respectively. 

An additional 7,362 flights have been delayed, with the largest struggles taking place in airports with international hubs, like Dallas-Fort Worth, Seattle-Tacoma and Denver International Airport.