The Northeast is affected by a winter storm that cancels more than 2,300 flights

Thousands of flights were canceled in the United States on Friday due to a new winter storm.

Airlines have continued to battle with bad weather. Southwest Airlines and other airlines have been beset with cancellations and delays in recent weeks, with staffing shortages highlighted as a key cause.

According to flight tracker Flight Aware, Southwest canceled almost 500 flights on Friday and delayed another 200.

Over 300 flights were canceled or delayed by United Airlines, while over 200 flights were canceled or delayed by American Airlines, Delta Airlines, and JetBlue.

In an email to The Epoch Times, a Southwest official said the cancellations were due to "disruptions caused by previous winter storms, which disrupted several of our main bases of operations throughout the last week, and ongoing staffing problems."

Southwest is offering extra compensation to employees through January 25 to assist alleviate the problem. Employees who perform extra shifts can earn up to double their regular compensation.

7 Jan 2022