Air travelers facing thousands more canceled or delayed U.S. flights

Jan. 4 (UPI) -- U.S. air passengers Tuesday again faced thousands of delayed and canceled flights.

Cancellations tallied 1,288 as of 11:26 a.m. EST, with 1,795 delayed flights, according to FlightAware.

Southwest Airlines had the most cancellations, at 314 of more than 3,600 scheduled flights, with another 225 flights delayed.

"Following the winter weather that moved across the country this week, operational planners at Southwest are working to get our aircraft and crews back in place to support a more normal operation," Southwest spokeswoman Alyssa Foster said in a statement to The Dallas Morning News.

Nearly 20,000 U.S. flights have been canceled since Christmas Eve.

Nearly 90% of flights out of Reagan National Airport near Washington, D.C., were canceled Tuesday.

Severe weather and staffing shortages caused by the COVID-19 Omicron outbreak are causing the delays and cancellations, creating major headaches for air travelers nationwide.

Tuesday's delays and cancellations add to 3,600 flights cancelled Monday.

The Federal Aviation Administration said no federal laws require airlines to compensate passengers for canceled and delayed flights. The law only provides compensation if travelers are bumped from a flight that's oversold.

The weather also wreacked havoc for ground transportation. A snowstorm shut down a 48-mile stretch of Interstate 95 in Virginia on Monday, stranding motorists for over 19 hours in the cold.