--- title: What the heck is going on with airlines right now? - The Hustle description: Airlines are dealing with bad weather, omicron, and staffing shortages during peak travel season. image: https://hs-sbup.thehustle.co/hubfs/The%20Hustle%20News/Assets/Images/1958861924-News-Brief_2022-01-03T003625.952Z.webp --- # What the heck is going on with airlines right now? ![Juliet Bennett Rylah](https://53.fs1.hubspotusercontent-na1.net/hubfs/53/assets/hubspot.com/web-team/WBZ/HubSpot%20Media/Blog%202021/Images/Nav/Optimized/TheHustle_Icon_Dark.svg) [Juliet Bennett Rylah](https://hs-sbup.thehustle.co/author/juliet-bennett-rylah) [Juliet Bennett Rylah Twitter profile ](https://twitter.com/JBRylah) Published: January 03, 2022 Updated: October 11, 2023 *Source: Sergei Supinsky/AFP via Getty Images* ![What the heck is going on with airlines right now?](https://hs-sbup.thehustle.co/hs-fs/hubfs/The%20Hustle%20News/Assets/Images/1958861924-News-Brief_2022-01-03T003625.952Z.webp?width=595&height=400&name=1958861924-News-Brief_2022-01-03T003625.952Z.webp) Air travel is kind of a mess currently. Since Dec. 24, ~15k flights have been canceled across the US, [per ](https://www.usatoday.com/story/travel/airline-news/2022/01/01/sunday-canceled-flights-southwest-delta-united-american/9069908002/)*USA Today*. On Sunday, 2.5k+ US flights had already been dumped by afternoon, [per FlightAware](https://flightaware.com/live/cancelled/yesterday). There are 2 big causes: - Bad weather - Staffing shortages due to COVID-19 Thanks to the omicron variant, the US broke its record for average new cases last week at **355k+** infections per day, [per](https://www.cnn.com/2021/12/31/health/us-coronavirus-friday/index.html) *CNN.* #### **The cancellations are affecting airline stocks** While the S&P 500 Airlines Index improved in early 2021, the sector took a hit with the delta and omicron variants. Since Oct. 1, it’s dropped ~18%, [per](https://fortune.com/2021/12/27/omicron-covid-19-airline-stocks-drop-holiday-flight-cancellations/) *Fortune*. After Christmas weekend — during which 2.8k+ US flights were canceled — United Airlines and Delta Air Lines both fell 0.7%, while American Airlines dipped 0.9%. #### **There’s also been some controversy** The CDC recently [changed](https://www.cdc.gov/media/releases/2021/s1227-isolation-quarantine-guidance.html) the isolation window for those with COVID-19 from 10 days to 5 — which is what Delta Air Lines suggested [in a letter](https://news.delta.com/sites/default/files/2021-12/delta-letter-to-cdc-december-21-2021.pdf) to CDC director Rochelle Walensky. Walensky [told](https://www.npr.org/2021/12/28/1068587852/cdc-director-on-new-isolation-rules) *NPR* the decision was, in part, to keep society’s “critical functions” — like airlines — in operation. She also noted that while the virus is typically passed on in the 1st days of infection, masking is essential on days 5 through 10. Who’s mad about this? [Nurses](https://www.forbes.com/sites/brucejapsen/2021/12/29/big-nurses-group-opposes-cdcs-new-covid-isolation-guidelines/?sh=6ebe312165bd), plus [flight attendants](https://www.politico.com/news/2021/12/28/flight-attendants-cdc-airline-quarantine-change-526213), who say they’re already dealing with [an uptick](https://thehustle.co/09302021-could-airlines-band-together/) in violent passenger outbursts over mask guidelines. **BTW:** Having travel FOMO? You could always check out FlightAware’s [Misery Map](https://flightaware.com/miserymap/), which visualizes cancellations and delays. 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