Travelers hoping to get back on track after a holiday weekend of flight cancellations and delays faced another round of disappointment Monday.
More than 1,200 U.S. flights were canceled and nearly 5,300 were delayed by 5:30 p.m. EST, according to FlightAware, which tracks flight status in real time. Those are flights within, to and from the U.S. across all airlines.
SkyWest had the highest number of cancellations for any U.S. carrier Monday. In a statement to USA TODAY, the Utah-based airline attributed its more than 300 cancellations to weather conditions at multiple hubs and "increased coronavirus cases and quarantines amongst crewmembers."
"Weather challenges" were also blamed for more than 1,200 delays on Southwest Monday, the most for any airline.
Delta's Executive Vice President and Chief of Operations John Laughter called the situation "a perfect storm that includes relentless weather systems coupled with the omicron variant surge." He said cancellations are always a last resort.
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Travelers should check flight status directly with their airline.
The U.S. Department of Transportation requires airlines to offer a refund when they cancel a flight, regardless of the reason or type of ticket purchased. Delays are trickier because while the same rule applies to significant delays, each airline interprets "significant delays" differently.
Contributing: Bailey Schulz and Dawn Gilbertson, USA TODAY
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