About 2,500 flights were canceled to or from U.S. airports on the first day of 2022, extending for the ninth day major air disruptions caused by the progression of the Omicron variant of the new coronavirus, exacerbated by a snowstorm.

By 13:30 on the east coast of the United States, 2,482 cancellations were recorded nationwide, more than half of the cancellations worldwide (4,304) during the first day of the year 2022, which represents an increase in flight cancellations over previous days.

According to Lusa, the city of Chicago, in the northwestern United States, was on Saturday the most affected in the world by a snowstorm, which caused O'Hare airport to cancel 402 flights at origin and 425 at destination, to which must be added 130 at origin and 143 at destination at Midway airport, followed by Denver (Colorado) and Detroit (Michigan).

Incidentally, the staff shortages due to the covid-19 infections that have affected flights and their crews were also evident with the news about United Airlines, which offered its pilots triple their pay for much of January to try to minimize cancellations.

Specifically, according to a statement United sent Friday to CNBC, the pilots' union and the airline have reached an agreement.

The company will pay more than three times their salary to pilots working on open flights from December 30 and January 3, and three times more for taking additional flights between January 4 and January 29.

Meanwhile, the release also notes that United has experienced a "large number" of infected pilots due to the "rapid expansion of the Omicron variant."

By airlines, the most affected in the world by cancellations, as in recent days, is China Eastern (513 flights affected), followed by Southwest (United States, with 472), SkyWest (United States, with 437) and Air China (with 226).