SPOKANE, Wash. — TSA predicts more than 30 million passengers will be screened this holiday season. The Washington State Hospital Association said the high number of holiday travelers could lead to a surge in state Covid cases, putting a strain on local hospitals.
The Omicron variant is taking a toll on holiday flight crews. Between Christmas Eve and Christmas day, according to FlightAware, more than 5,000 flights were cancelled worldwide.
One of those flights was Spokane resident Carrie Bostick's.
She planned on flying from New York to Spokane, with a connection in Minneapolis, on Christmas Day. But an hour before her flight, she got a notification that said her flight from Minneapolis to Spokane was canceled.
"We could have gotten on a flight to Minneapolis and just got stuck there or we could just stay here with family in New York," Bostick said. "My in-laws and fiancée didn't mind staying an extra few days."
On Christmas day alone, over 2,000 flights were cancelled. Bostick is hoping to get reschedule on a flight on Monday.
“I have to work within the state, so I won't be able to work if, if this goes beyond a couple of days, that's going to affect my job,” Bostick said.
Delta announced more than 300 flights are expected to be cancelled Sunday, Dec. 26.