6,300 flights scrapped as Omicron hits Christmas weekend travel

Travelers check flight information at Los Angeles International Airport, as thousands of flights were cancelled and thousands more delayed over Christmas weekend

Travelers at Los Angeles International Airport on December 24, 2021

More than 6,000 flights have been cancelled worldwide over the long Christmas weekend and thousands more were delayed, a tracking website reported Saturday, as the highly infectious Omicron variant brings holiday hurt to millions. 

According to Flightaware.com, nearly 2,800 flights were scrubbed around the globe on Saturday, including more than 970 originating from or headed to US airports, with over 8,000 delays as of 0130 GMT. On Friday, there were around 2,400 cancellations and 11,000 delays, while Sunday cancellations have already surpassed 1,100.