FORT MYERS, Fla. — Passengers traveling by air this Christmas Eve may be grounded this holiday.
It's due to a rise in cases of the Omicron variant of Covid-19, causing hundreds of flights to be canceled and forcing airlines and passengers to stay put.
United Airlines has canceled more than 100 flights that were originally set to depart today. The airline says a surge of Covid-19 cases has impacted its workforce. Delta Airlines, meanwhile, have cited potentially bad weather as well as the Omicron variant before canceling 90 flights.
Alaska Airlines has canceled more than a dozen flights after some employees reported a possible exposure to Covid-19. Each airline said they were trying to reschedule as many passengers as possible.
This comes as travelers are rushing to get home for the holidays. Holiday air travelers are heading out to their holiday locations, spending time with family, friends and loved ones.
AAA estimates 109 million people will be traveling for the holidays.
At Southwest Florida International Airport, there are currently eleven flights that have been canceled. Those include a flight originally scheduled to depart at 9:05 a.m. headed to Atlantic City, one flight scheduled to take off to Newark for 10:30 a.m., and another for Cleveland scheduled to leave at 11:40 a.m. have all been canceled.
For those travelers whose flights have not been canceled, there is good news. There are parking spots currently available. Airport officials are suggesting, however, to be dropped off or take a ride share to the airport as to help alleviate any traffic build up.
Meanwhile, at Punta Gorda Airport, one flight has been canceled at this time. An Allegiant Air flight to Grand Rapids scheduled for 11:42 a.m. has been canceled.
