Flight cancellations eased somewhat on Sunday, but brutal holiday weekend weather continued to disrupt airline operations on Christmas Day.
Airlines canceled more than 1,800 flights to, from, or within the United States by mid-afternoon on Christmas Day. This is an improvement from the day before, when the airline canceled nearly 3,500 of his flights. Airlines have canceled more than 14,000 flights since Wednesday, according to FlightAware.
Southwest Airlines Ltd.
was one of the hardest-hit this week, and its troubles continued over the weekend. After canceling about a third of its flights on Friday and Saturday, Southwest Airlines cut about 15% of its schedule as of Sunday afternoon.
Bad weather often disrupts airline operations. However, the storm is notable for covering a vast swath of the country, and its impact is expected to be one of the busiest weeks for travel since the start of the Covid-19 pandemic. There are many days left in between.
Persistent frigid temperatures and ice in some areas have created challenges for many airlines as they try to bounce back, even as weather conditions improve in some areas.
delta airlines Ltd.
It said most of the snow had passed, but aviation data Anub said the cancellations would continue until Sunday as equipment froze in some locations and restricted normal ground operations, prompting the airline to close on Christmas Day. has canceled about 16% of flights to.providers. The airline said meteorologists were forecasting better conditions through Monday.
A Delta Air Lines spokesperson said Sunday, “While we are seeing continued improvements today, our crew and aircraft will be even more significantly improved tomorrow.
Alaska Airlines Group Ltd.
said Sunday that operations in Seattle and Portland, Oregon, had improved after Friday’s ice storm. Still, the airline said it canceled more than 130 flights on Sunday due to ill-staffed aircraft and crews.
The FAA said a water leak on Saturday evacuated the control tower at Newark Liberty International Airport, leading to delays.An FAA spokesman said the impact would be short-lived.
Write to Alison Sider at [email protected].
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