JetBlue cuts about 1,280 flights through mid-January on Omicron hurdles

JetBlue Airways Corp is reducing its schedule through Jan. 13 by about 1,280 flights due to a surge in crew members falling sick from the Omicron coronavirus variant, a spokesperson for the airline told Reuters on Thursday.

Carriers have been canceling hundreds of flights every day in the United States since Christmas Eve as they grapple with staff shortages due to COVID-19 infections and bad weather in parts of the country.

"We expect the number of COVID cases in the northeast – where most of our crewmembers are based to continue to surge for the next week or two," JetBlue's spokesperson said