Another 2,600+ US flights canceled Sunday, including dozens in San Diego

SAN DIEGO — Wintry weather combined with the pandemic to frustrate air travelers whose return flights home from the holidays were canceled or delayed in the first days of the new year. By afternoon Sunday, more than 2,600 U.S. flights and more than 4,300 worldwide had been canceled, according to tracking service FlightAware. The numbers included several flights in and out of San Diego which were canceled or delayed. 

According to FlightAware, 112 flights in and out of San Diego International Airport had experienced delays and 37 were canceled as of 7 p.m. PT. 

The U.S. airlines with the most cancellations as of 7 p.m. PT, according to FlightAware:

1. SkyWest - 562
2. Southwest - 429
3. Delta - 177
4. JetBlue - 174
5. American - 160
6. Mesa - 143
7. United - 114

Southwest had the most delays with 1,781, followed by United with 836 and Delta with 767.

That followed Saturday’s mass cancelations of more than 2,700 U.S. flights, and more than 4,700 worldwide. Saturday’s single-day U.S. toll was the highest since just before Christmas, when airlines began blaming staffing shortages on increasing COVID-19 infections among crews.

A winter storm that hit the Midwest on Saturday made Chicago the worst place in the country for travelers throughout the weekend as the region’s airports continued to recover Sunday morning. About a quarter of all flights at O’Hare Airport were canceled Sunday.

American Airlines said most of Sunday’s canceled flights had been canceled ahead of time to avoid last-minute disruptions at the airport.

WATCH RELATED: Hundreds more flights canceled because of staff shortages  - Dec. 26, 2020