Airlines, including Delta and other US carriers, have cancelled thousands of flights in recent days.
New York:
Delta Air Lines on Monday cited new Chinese cleaning requirements after it rerouted a China-bound flight back to the United States, drawing criticism from Chinese authorities.
The December 21 flight was supposed to land in Shanghai after disembarking from Seattle, but instead returned to the US city midair. Delta said the reason for the reversal was new Chinese requirements issued earlier that day in the wake of the latest Covid-19 surge.
“The new cleaning procedures require significantly extended ground time and are not operationally viable for Delta,” a Delta spokesman said. “We apologize for any inconvenience this is causing for customers as we continue to work on rebooking on alternate flights.”
The Chinese consulate in San Francisco complained that several Chinese citizens were stranded on board with expired visas and Covid-19 tests that no longer met time requirements, according to Chinese state media.
Airlines, including Delta and other leading US carriers, have canceled thousands of flights in recent days as the Omicron variant of Covid-19 hits airline workers and roils travel plans for many consumers.
China, like other countries, is battling the latest resurgence of the virus.
On Monday, Chinese city Xi’an tightened Covid-19 controls to the “strictest” level, banning residents from driving cars around town in an effort to control the country’s worst outbreak in 21 months.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
United, Delta and other U.S. airlines have canceled more than 950 flights for Christmas Day, after canceling over 600 Christmas Eve flights the day before, as a surge in COVID-19 cases impacts their staff. The cancellations came as the Transportation Safety Administration said the number of people traveling for the holiday is returning to pre-pandemic levels.
“The nationwide spike in Omicron cases this week has had a direct impact on our flight crews and the people who run our operation,” a United Airlines spokesperson told CBS News in a statement. “As a result, we’ve unfortunately had to cancel some flights and are notifying impacted customers in advance of them coming to the airport.”
Real-time flight tracking data from FlightAware showed 951 flights within, to and from the U.S canceled as of Saturday afternoon. Delta listed 309 flight cancellations, United had 240, Jet Blue had 123 and American Airlines had 92.
Worldwide, more than 2,600 Saturday flights were reported canceled Saturday.
On Friday, FlightAware reported 689 U.S. flights were canceled. United canceled 201 flights, Delta called off 173 and JetBlue scrubbed 80.
“Delta teams have exhausted all options and resources — including rerouting and substitutions of aircraft and crews to cover scheduled flying,” the airline said in a statement Thursday.
Airlines apologized for the disruptions and said they were trying to rebook passengers.
Holiday travel approaches pre-pandemic levels…
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Around the world, a total of 2,295 flights were canceled Friday, adding to the previous day’s 2,232 global cancellations.
The Associated Press reports that Germany-based Lufthansa said Friday it was canceling 12 transatlantic flights over the Christmas holiday period because of a “massive rise” in sickouts by pilots. The flights were to head to Houston, Boston and Washington.
Lufthansa said it had arranged for a “large buffer” of additional staff for the period but still needed to cancel the flights. The airline wouldn’t speculate on whether COVID-19 infections or quarantines were behind the sickouts because it wasn’t told which illnesses were involved. Passengers were booked on other flights.
Delta CEO Ed Bastian was among those who have called on the Biden administration to take similar steps or risk further disruptions in air travel. On Thursday, the U.S. shortened COVID-19 isolation rules for health care workers only.
American and Southwest Airlines told CBS DFW Thursday they have no plans to cancel any flights due to COVID-19 staffing issues.
Pilot shortage gets worse
02:27
Millions flying despite Omicron
Still, holiday travel this year has been brisk. FlightAware says it has tracked more than 120,000 arrivals in the past 24 hours.
“We’re 27% ahead of where we were last year,” said Robert Sinclair, a senior manager of public affairs at AAA Northeast. “Without a doubt, people have more confidence with the vaccines and the boosters.”
The cancellations come as millions of people are expected to travel for the holidays, despite the nationwide surge in COVID-19 cases led by the Omicron variant. While some travelers canceled holiday plans because of rising case numbers, many others kept to their vacations during some of the year’s busiest travel days.
The Transportation Security Administration said it expects to screen nearly 30 million people from December 20 through January 3, compared with nearly 44 million during the last holiday season before the pandemic. Six million people are expected to fly, thanks in part to vaccinations.
The TSA said its agents screened more than 2 million people on Wednesday, exceeding the number of travelers on that day in 2019.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention urges those planning to travel to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19. People are also advised to avoid crowded and poorly ventilated spaces and to wear a well-fitting face mask when in public indoor settings.
The CDC has also warned of spiking COVID-19 cases as the fast-spreading Omicron variant infects many throughout the nation. Omicron has become the dominant strain of the virus in the U.S. and health officials are urging people to get fully vaccinated and boosted.
Tori B. Powell
Tori B. Powell is a breaking news reporter at CBS News. Reach her at tori.powell@viacomcbs.com
NEW YORK (WABC) — The U.S. is lifting restrictions on foreign travelers who are fully vaccinated against COVID, starting Monday.
The Biden administration is expecting long lines and delays at airports with travelers possibly pouring into the states.
When the announcement was made, online searches for international flights jumped 338%.
Delta Airlines saw bookings shoot up by 450%, and United Airlines says it will be bringing 30,000 travelers into the U.S. on Monday alone.
Here are more of today’s COVID-19 headlines:
Novavax says its vaccine could win over skeptics
The biotechnology company Novavax plans to submit complete data to the US Food and Drug Administration soon for possible emergency use authorization of its coronavirus vaccine, CEO Stanley Erck told CNN in a phone interview Friday. Novavax’s vaccine, called NVX-CoV2373, is made using somewhat more conventional methods than the vaccines already authorized for use in the US.
US cancels vaccine maker’s multimillion dollar deal The federal government has canceled a multimillion dollar deal with Emergent BioSolutions, a Maryland-based vaccine manufacturer with facilities in Baltimore that were found to have produced millions of contaminated Johnson & Johnson vaccine doses this spring, the Washington Post reported. Emergent disclosed the development Thursday in a conference call discussing its latest financial results, the Post reported. Emergent said it will forgo about $180 million due to the contract’s termination, according to the Post. Emergent BioSolutions played a role in the Trump administration’s effort to speed up vaccine development and distribution. But after winning a contract from the previous administration, Emergent quickly ran into production problems. In March, ingredients intended for use in producing the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine shots contaminated 15 million doses of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine. The problems with the vaccines caused a monthslong delay in production. After that, the Biden administration put Johnson & Johnson in direct control of vaccine production there.
15 unions reach COVID vaccine mandate deal with NYC, talks continue with outliers New York City employees who don’t want to get vaccinated have until Friday to file for a religious or medical exemption if they have any hope of staying on the payroll, this as the city announces more deals with unions representing municipal workers. Mayor Bill de Blasio said Friday that 15 unions, including city’s largest, DC 37, have signed onto the deal. The unions represent more than 100,000 city workers covered by this most recent mandate that took effect last week, but the police and fire unions are not included and are still trying to hash out their own deals. Around 92% of city workers under the mandate are vaccinated, including 90% of EMS, 79% of firefighters, 85% of sanitation workers, and 85% of NYPD employees.
COVID vaccine refusal 10th highest reason for job cuts in 2021, report says While experts say we’re still in the so-called “Great Resignation,” a recent Jobs Cut Report uncovered vaccine refusal as the 10th highest reason for job cuts this year. Numbers released by Chicago-based outplacement and business and executive coaching firm Challenger, Gray & Christmas, Inc. came on on the same day President Biden announced new federal guidance and deadline for tens of millions of workers to get vaccinated. “Roughly 5,000 people that lost their jobs in the last month due to COVID vaccine refusal made up actually 22% of the total number of people that we tracked being let go across the country,” the firm’s Senior VP Andy Challenger told our sister station KGO-TV.
Pfizer’s COVID-19 pill reduces risk of being hospitalized or dying by 89%, company says
A course of pills developed by Pfizer can slash the risk of being hospitalized or dying from COVID-19 by 89% if taken within three days of developing symptoms, according to results released Friday by the pharmaceutical company. In a study of more than 1,200 COVID-19 patients with a higher risk of developing serious illness, people who took Pfizer’s pills were far less likely to end up in the hospital compared to people who got placebo pills. None of the people who got the real pills died, but 10 people who got placebo pills died, according to results summarized in a Pfizer press release. SantaCon returns After taking a year off due to the pandemic, SantaCon is returning to New York City. The event requires a $13 donation for all-inclusive Santa Badge access to the official SantaCon venues. The location of a Yuletide kickoff party won’t be disclosed until closer to the December 11 SantaCon date.
Turkey Day troubles? Smaller birds, popular Thanksgiving sides could be harder to find in 2021 Consumers may have to trim their list of trimmings for their highly anticipated Thanksgiving meal this year. Top turkey seller Butterball said it doesn’t expect an overall gobbler shortage, but that those in search of a smaller size bird could have a hard time. “Typically a 10- to 12-pound (turkey) up to 14 pounds is going to be more difficult,” Butterball CEO Jay Jandrain told “Good Morning America” on Friday. “Anything over 16 pounds, they’ll certainly be more readily available.”
Q&A: What to know about COVID-19 vaccines for kids aged 5-11 Vaccinations finally are available to U.S. children as young as 5, to the relief of some parents even as others have questions or fears. Late Tuesday, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention gave the final OK for youngsters age 5 to 11 to get kid-size doses of the vaccine made by Pfizer and its partner BioNTech. Pediatricians and other doctors’ groups praised the move and are gearing up to help families decide whether to vaccinate their children. The shots could be available as soon as Wednesday and will be offered at pediatricians offices, clinics and pharmacies. Like COVID-19 vaccines for adults, they are free. Here’s everything you need to know.
Will the supply chain issues impact holiday shopping? Here’s what the experts say
With the holiday shopping suddenly upon us, it appears that getting that perfect gift or preparing that perfect meal will be far more challenging than in years past due to supply chain issues. Shoppers are noticing that it’s difficult to find a variety of items, and virtually everything from food to Christmas trees are more expensive. The price increase is being caused by gridlock at major seaports and a truck driver shortage across the country. Analysts say the forecast for the holiday season is not looking better.
MORE CORONAVIRUS COVID-19 COVERAGE
New York City COVID-19 Vaccine Tracker New Jersey COVID-19 Vaccine Tracker Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on coronavirus
ATLANTA (KABC) — A Delta Airlines passenger was arrested Friday morning at Atlanta’s Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport after he fought another passenger on a plane headed to Los Angeles, according to local police.
Curtis Maurice Clayton, 30, was arrested on charges of battery and interference with government property, the Atlanta Police Department said in a news release.
Police said the fight began when Clayton started to argue with German Montez, the man sitting behind him on the plane. Clayton allegedly became upset over Montez placing something in the pocket of his seatback and a dispute escalated into a fight.
Video of the fight, which is now the subject of an investigation, showed two men scuffling in the aisle as a few people tried to stop the brawl. One of the men appeared to have blood on his face.
RELATED: Flight attendant who was punched had accidentally bumped passenger
Clayton was restrained by a passenger, according to the news release.
Police said Clayton was “uncooperative” with officers and damaged a police vehicle during the investigation.
The incident is the latest in an alarming spike in disorderly behavior among passengers on flights since the start of the pandemic.
Earlier this week, a flight from New York to Orange County was diverted to Denver after a man allegedly assaulted an American Airlines flight attendant.
RELATED: Unruly passengers kicked off JetBlue flight to SoCal after mask argument
Thousands of Delta Airlines employees have gotten inoculated against COVID-19 in the two weeks since the company announced a monthly $200 health insurance surcharge for the unvaccinated, according to a report.
Last month, Delta CEO Ed Bastian said employees not fully vaccinated against coronavirus by Nov. 1 would have to pay the extra dough.
At that time, there were about 20,000 Delta workers without the jab, according to the company’s chief health officer, Dr. Henry Ting, who spoke this week at the Infectious Diseases Society of America, WGN9 Chicago reported.
“Just within the two weeks of the announcement, we’ve seen nearly 20 percent, or one-fifth, of that 20,000 decide to get the vaccine,” Ting told the IDS, calling the increase of about 4,000 a “huge number.”
The company also said it would hire only fully vaccinated flight attendants.
Since the health insurance surcharge announcement, 20 percent of the 20,000 reported unvaccinated have now been inoculated against COVID.Getty Images