January 1, JetBlue Cancels More Than 1,200 Flights

JetBlue announced the cancellation of 1,280 flights through January 13.

The airline said the move was an effort to avoid last-minute changes for passengers as it expects an increase in COVID-19 infections among employees.

“This past week has been one of our most difficult operating periods during the pandemic,” JetBlue department leaders wrote in a note to staff, as reported by CNBC. “The exponential growth in omicron cases over just a couple of days is at a level that no one could reasonably prepare for.”

The move comes after the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reduced its recommended isolation time for asymptomatic people with COVID-19 from 10 days to five.

While that change is expected to help airlines address staffing shortages, JetBlue noted it likely won’t be enough to offset the overall spike in cases with the omicron variant.

The cancellations impact roughly 10% of the airline’s daily schedules.

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JetBlue cuts hundreds of January flights due to omicron surge as travel disruptions worsen