Why Is Delta Canceling So Many Thanksgiving Week Flights?

Even during the pandemic, airlines were expecting a sizable amount of passengers flying this week to kick off the holiday travel season.

And while the numbers were significantly down from this time last year, they were significantly up compared to traffic at the lowest points in March and April during this so-called ‘coronavirus period.’

Yet for some reason during one of the most important times of the year save for summer, Delta Air Lines has been canceling flights left and right.

According to the influential blog The Points Guy, which used the flight tracking service Flight Aware, Delta had canceled more than 260 flights through Thanksgiving Day and more than 100 scheduled for today (Black Friday) and Saturday.

Analyst John DiScala, founder and editor-in-chief of JohnnyNet, told The Points Guy, “I find it shocking Delta canceled so many flights because they’re known as the best-run airline in the country.”

Some have speculated it could be a pilot slowdown, but Delta did not confirm that in a statement to CBS46 Atlanta.

“We apologize for any inconvenience these flight cancellations have cause our customers. A number of factors pressured our ability to timely staff several dozen scheduled flights,” a Delta spokesman said.

“If a flight is canceled or significantly rescheduled by Delta, customers are proactively contacted with new flight details and have the options of adjusting their new booking, receiving eCredit for future travel or seeking a refund. The vast majority of customers have been rebooked for flights during the same travel day. Delta will maintain its blocked seat policy through this operational adjustment period.”