Alaska Airlines Cancels Many Flights On Adverse Weather, Omicron; Expects More Cancellations, Delays

(RTTNews) - Alaska Air Group Inc. (ALK), an American airline company, said it has cancelled as many as 170 flights across its network on Wednesday due to persisting adverse winter weather and the threat of Omicron variant of Covid-19. Separately, the company expects more cancellations and delays later this week.

"As we head into Wednesday and Thursday, we're proactively thinning Seattle departures by about 20 percent to allow for the additional time it takes to deice aircraft, a requirement during winter weather," the company said in a statement.

The airline also urged the non-essential travelers who are scheduled to fly before January 2, 2022, to reconsider and postpone their travel using its flexible travel policy as the weather in Seattle is impacting guests beyond the Pacific Northwest.

"We deeply apologize for the inconvenience this winter storm has on our guests and employees and are working hard to return to the level of service you know and expect from us, while operating safely," commented Constance von Muehlen, Alaska Airlines chief operating officer.