Cranky on the Web: The Many Steps of Omicron Cancellation Panic

Cranky on the Web

It’s remarkable how you can tell a story sometimes just be looking at the progression of media requests that come in….

As Omicron Overshadows Christmas, Thousands of Flights Are CanceledThe New York Times
This call came in on Christmas Eve when it was pretty clear that cancellations were going to start rolling in quickly. This was the time to scramble to make sense of what was happening.

COVID-related flight cancellations continue after Christmas at Cleveland Hopkins airport, across U.S.cleveland.com
By the time Monday rolled around, my inbox was full from journalists all over trying to get a handle on what was still to come and if there were suggestions for travelers.

What to do if your flight is canceled due to omicron-related crew shortagesABC News
This one was mostly focused on what travelers can do.

When will flight cancellation chaos end? CDC’s new quarantine guidance may help, but it’s no ‘silver bullet’Deseret News
By Tuesday when the CDC had lowered the isolation period from 10 days to 5 days, the question became… will this solve all the problems? (Spoiler alert: no.)

Canceled flights overshadow reduced delays at American Airlines, other carriersDallas Morning News
And then there’s Dallas, where they’re so used to American having operational issues that this holiday was a nice respite since American has done rather well here.

Travel in the omicron surge: What airlines owe you if they cancel your flightCNBC
Then by Friday, it was… what do the airlines owe people?

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4 comments on “Cranky on the Web: The Many Steps of Omicron Cancellation Panic

  1. I am a flight attendant. I worked DEC 21st through 23rd and DEC 26th-31st. Woke up to symptoms today. It’s inevitable because masking is sporadic with passengers, people are traveling sick and a large populace remains unvaccinated. I’ll be missing my next 5 days of flying along with thousands of airline employees.

  2. Funny how the Omicron only effected two airlines. The Delta/United boasts of 93% vaccinated yet they cancelled because of this variant is a cover up excuse. Funny what happens when you pay bonus pay too your work groups. You don’t see staffing issues due to a “virus.”

    1. Exactly! You see work groups either showing up sick or not testing. The bonuses being paid by AA to their employees are a great motivation to keep flying even if sick. Funny what happens when you pay bonus pay too (sic) your work groups.
      Omicron is not a joke, your analysis on the other hand is.

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