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Cancelled Flights And Talk Of Vaccine Mandates: The Latest On Bah Humbug Travel Conditions At LAX And Elsewhere
Travelers check for flight information at Los Angeles International Airport on Christmas Eve.
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David McNew
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AFP via Getty Images
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Bad weather and COVID-related staffing shortages created a wave of flight cancellations over the holiday weekend at airports in Southern California and across the nation.
According to LAX spokesperson Heath Montgomery, 112 flights were canceled at LAX as of 3 p.m. today. That brings the total of canceled flights to 439 since Christmas Eve. An additional 109 flights were delayed for more than 15 minutes.
Adding to those woes, LAX's Terminal 5 was hit by a "storm-related electrical issue" on Sunday at about 8:30 a.m. Passengers had to be diverted to security check points and baggage claims in other terminals. LAX reported that power was restored in the early afternoon.
Montgomery notes that the cancellations amount to 7% of the day's scheduled flights.
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On Sunday, which is a peak holiday travel day with as many as 200,000 passengers expected to pass through the airport, well over 100 flights were canceled at LAX.
LAX has been urging travelers to check the status of flights with their airline.
Nationwide, thousands of flights were canceled over Christmas weekend as the omicron variant continues to spread rapidly.
On Monday, in an interview on MSNBC's Morning Joe, Dr. Anthony Fauci said he believed a vaccine requirement for domestic flights would be "reasonable to consider."
"When you make vaccination a requirement, that's another incentive to get more people vaccinated," Fauci said, noting many businesses, entertainment venues and schools have such mandates in place. "If you want to do that with domestic flights, I think that's something that seriously should be considered."
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