Hundreds of flights were cancelled and delayed to and from the Pacific Northwest as the snow came down this past weekend. According to the Port of Portland, at least 34 flights were cancelled to or from Portland International Airport as of about noon on Monday. Of those cancelled flights, 20 were on Alaska Airlines.
Additionally, Portland International Airport saw flights canceled Monday, as the Omicron variant reduced airline flight crews and winter weather snarled travel plans across the West.
Kama Simonds, a spokeswoman for the Port of Portland, told the media that many of the scuttled flights were headed to or from cities that are snowed under. “We’re seeing a number of cancellations to cities that are being impacted by winter weather at this time, like Seattle and Salt Lake City,” she said. Portland’s troubles are in part a spillover from the chaos at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport, where more than 250 flights were canceled Sunday.
Airlines have also reported that their flight crews were thinned by the rapidly spreading Omicron variant of the COVID-19 virus. Dr. Anthony Fauci, the nation’s coronavirus czar, suggested today requiring vaccinations for commercial airline passengers.
The nationwide spike in Omicron cases this week has had a direct impact on our flight crews and the people who run our operation, says United Airlines.
