Hawaiian Airlines suspends 27 other flights
By canceling flights, Hawaiian Airlines was trying to protect passengers from catching coronavirus. In addition, the airline wanted to make sure that there were enough staff available to take care of customers who needed to be evacuated or sent home.
Hawaiian Airlines has more than 175 employees who have tested positive for coronavirus and their cases remain active. Ninety percent of Hawaiian Airlines employees live in Hawaiʽi and are not immune to the spread of the disease locally. Most of the company’s employees are immunized and understand the importance of staying home if they feel ill.
Hawaiian Airlines canceled a total number of 27 flights on New Years Eve due to staff shortages. The cancelled flights include 22 interisland flights, and five transpacific routes. On average, Hawaiian operates 140 neighbor island routes and 210 flights system wide each day. Hawaiian Airlines’ flight cancellations come as airline companies across the United States have had to cancel flights because of staffing shortages caused by the spread of the highly infectious omicron variant of coronavirus.