News

Local family’s longstanding Christmas tradition canned after flight cancelled

BOSTON — Holiday plans were left in limbo for many after hundreds of flights were cancelled across the country Friday.

“Just disappointing,” said Gerry Kawadler, of Milton. “We were looking forward to it and knowing it isn’t going to happen, it’s just disappointment for all of us.”

Instead of exchanging gifts, the Kawadler family takes a trip together each Christmas.

The tradition has spanned years and has brought the group of 14 to places like the Dominican Republic, the Bahamas, and Mexico.

“This trip is always special with all of us,” said Kawadler. “It’s just a great family get together, we can all just laugh, have fun, and enjoy each other.”

This year was supposed to be a Cancun Christmas, but the family got a 3 a.m. message from JetBlue letting them know their Friday morning flight had been cancelled.

It was one of 20 JetBlue flights into or out of Boston that was cancelled Christmas Eve.

When asked why their flight was cancelled, a JetBlue spokesperson told the family via text chat, “it looks like due to not having enough crew… the pandemic has created a lot of uncertainty.”

Boston 25 News reached out to JetBlue for comment. A spokesperson for the airline said in part, “we entered the holiday season with the highest staffing levels we’ve had since the pandemic began and are using all resources available to us to cover our staffing needs. Despite our best efforts, we’ve had to cancel a number of flights, and additional flight cancellations and other delays remain a possibility as we see more Omicron community spread.”

A spokesperson for JetBlue also stated the company is taking steps to “minimize disruption” from Omicron. Some of those steps include attempting to cancel flights with the “least amount of disruption to customers, especially in cases where we can combine flights to the same destination” as well as “offering additional incentives for crewmembers not scheduled to work to pick up additional shifts and trips.”

United Airlines and Delta Airlines said they cancelled hundreds of flights Friday due to staffing shortages from a rise in COVID-19 cases.

“What the airlines are saying, they have lack of staff because of the pandemic and people being diagnosed,” said Kawadler. “It’s going to be a continuing, carrying-on situation.”

Kawadler said his best advice for fellow travelers is to check with their airline before leaving home for the airport.

“They just have to stay in touch with her airline,” said Kawadler. “Fortunately, my daughter got the message early, so we didn’t end up going to the airport and then having to come back. All you can do is just stay in touch with your airline and they’ll keep you updated on what’s going on.”

Flight tracking website FlightAware is already reporting more than 400 cancelled flights for Christmas Day.