JetBlue has preemptively canceled approximately 1,280 flights that were scheduled to take off between now and the middle of January. The decision comes after approximately 8,000 flights worldwide were canceled suddenly over Christmas weekend as COVID-19 cases spread rapidly, causing staffing shortages for airlines. As reported by NBC News, the New York-based airline released a statement Wednesday warning of cancellations to come: “Our schedule reduction and other efforts will further ease day-of cancellations, we expect the number of Covid cases in the northeast—where most of our crew members are based—to continue to surge for the next week or two. ... This means there is a high likelihood of additional cancellations until case counts start to come down.”