United, Delta, Alaska Airlines Cancel Hundreds of Flights on Christmas Eve Due to Omicron's Spread

Suhaimi Abdullah/Getty United Airlines

Several airlines are planning to cancel hundreds of flights on Christmas Eve due to the rising cases of COVID-19 across America.

United, Delta, and Alaska Airlines are among those that have cited the rapid spread of the omicron variant as the reason for scrubbing hundreds of flights from their schedules on Friday.

"The nationwide spike in Omicron cases this week has had a direct impact on our flight crews and the people who run our operation," a spokesperson for United told PEOPLE in a statement on Thursday. "As a result, we've unfortunately had to cancel some flights and are notifying impacted customers in advance of them coming to the airport."

"We're sorry for the disruption and are working hard to rebook as many people as possible and get them on their way for the holidays," the statement concluded.

The United Airlines spokesperson also told PEOPLE that although they are unable to provide cancellations specific to customers' cities, the airline is seeing "about 120 cancellations planned for Friday across the United network."

The best way to get the most up to date number for travelers area is by going on the Flight Aware website, they added.

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Delta has also cut 90 flights, citing both coronavirus and severe weather in some areas of the country, the airline said in a statement to PEOPLE on Thursday.

"Delta teams have exhausted all options and resources — including rerouting and substitutions of aircraft and crews to cover scheduled flying — before canceling," a spokesperson said. "We apologize to our customers for the delay in their holiday travel plans. Delta people are working hard to get them to where they need to be as quickly and as safely as possible on the next available flight."

Alaska has cancelled just 17 flights so far, though a spokesperson told PEOPLE that more cancellations were possible "during this dynamic situation."

"We apologize to our guests impacted by the cancellations that may have taken a bit of the merry out of this holiday season," the spokesperson added. "We realize it's incredibly frustrating when travel doesn't go as planned, especially now as many of us are eager to connect with family and friends."

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Earlier this month, the Centers for Disease Prevention and Control issued a statement about the "potential rapid increase of Omicron variant infections in the United States," noting that the best way to "protect against severe illness, hospitalizations, and deaths due to infection with the Omicron variant" is by getting vaccinated with one of the approved COVID-19 vaccines.

In December, the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices recommended that those who are able to get vaccinated opt for the Pfizer or Moderna vaccine over the Johnson & Johnson shot.

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Their recommendation came after the CDC confirmed 54 cases of people developing blood clots while showing low platelet levels — a rare condition known as Thrombosis with Thrombocytopenia Syndrome (TTS).

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The New York Times reports that positive COVID cases across the country are up 38 percent as of Dec. 23, and that overall hospitalizations in the U.S. are up 11 percent.

Like in the beginning of the pandemic, this new wave has impacted a sea of industries, with many live theater show, events, and concerts canceled in the process. Restaurants across the country have also had to adjust to new requirements for indoor dining.

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