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United cuts flights as about 3,000 employees name out unwell from Covid

Vacationers wait to test in on the United Airways price ticket counter at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta Global Airport (ATL) in Atlanta, Georgia, U.S., on Monday, Dec. 27, 2021.

Elijah Nouvelage | Bloomberg | Getty Pictures

United Airways is trimming its time table to handle a surge in unwell calls amongst staff, CEO Scott Kirby informed staff.

U.S. airways canceled hundreds of flights over the year-end vacations thru early this 12 months because of Covid infections amongst crews and a sequence of wintry weather storms. United first minimize some flights ahead of Christmas.

JetBlue Airlines was once the primary service to reduce its January time table on account of a surge in an infection charges amongst crews, which was once later adopted by way of Alaska Airways. American Airways stated it could do the similar this week as Covid charges climbed amongst regional carriers.

The changes are the newest transfer by way of an airline to deal with the speedy unfold of the omicron variant.

Kirby stated in a memo revealed at the corporate’s web page Monday that United is “decreasing our near-term schedules to verify we’ve got the staffing and assets to handle consumers.” A spokeswoman on Tuesday declined to mention what number of flights the service is canceling.

United has about 3,000 employees who’re these days certain for Covid, Kirby stated within the team of workers memo. This is about 4% of its U.S. body of workers.

“Simply for example, in someday by myself at Newark [New Jersey], just about one-third of our body of workers known as out unwell,” Kirby stated. He stated that not one of the service’s vaccinated staff, which make up greater than 96% of its team of workers, are hospitalized and that it hasn’t had a Covid-related demise amongst inoculated staff in 8 weeks.

United on Dec. 31 introduced triple pay for pilots to pick out up journeys thru maximum of January. The pilots’ union stated unwell calls amongst aviators have been at a document. Southwest Airways additionally gave pilots incentive pay for this month.