Chinese students in US scramble to get flights home amid travel chaos

Travelers wait in line to check into their flights at the Delta Terminal at the Los Angeles International Airport in Los Angeles, Dec. 28. Thousands of flight cancellations that disrupted the holiday weekend have continued into the week due to Omicron-driven airline staff shortages. EPA-Yonhap

Chinese students in the United States are struggling to get flights back to China, as U.S. airlines cancel services because of staffing issues caused by a surge in cases of the Omicron coronavirus variant and bad weather.

The clock is ticking to get back to China in time for Lunar New Year family celebrations on February 1, given that if they can get on a flight, they will have to quarantine for an extended period when they arrive.

For some frantically trying to rebook cancelled flights ― sometimes at exorbitant prices ― the more pressing concern is the risk of overstaying their U.S. visa or potentially missing out on a job lined up back home.

U.S. flight cancellations began before Christmas because of crew members becoming infected with Omicron or being exposed to cases. The situation worsened over the weekend, when thousands of flights into and out of the U.S. were cancelled because of surging COVID-19 infections and severe weather. Airlines have warned that flight cancellations and delays could continue into January.

One graduate, who gave her name as Lisa, said she had missed the start of an internship in China because her flight to Shanghai last week returned to the U.S. six hours into the journey.

"I sublet my house in Pennsylvania and sold all my furniture before I flew to Seattle [to get the flight to Shanghai]," Lisa said. "Right now, I have no fixed abode and my I-20 [student] visa has expired because I've already graduated."

The exact reason the Delta Air Lines flight, DL287, turned back remains unclear, but the American carrier said a new policy at Shanghai Pudong Airport "requires longer time on the ground than Delta is able to schedule there", adding that it was working to rebook customers on alternative flights.

China's embassy in the United States on Tuesday highlighted the staffing issues that have hit US airlines and caused the cancellation of many domestic and international flights. The embassy previously said it had provided assistance to affected passengers and made "stern representations" to the airline.

A passenger on the flight said earlier that the pilot attributed the decision to turn back to a temporary change in China's entry policy that meant passengers' health codes ― required for entering China ― could not be authenticated.

Travelers line up for flights at O'Hare International Airport in Chicago, Dec. 30. AP-Yonhap

For now, Lisa said she was staying in Seattle at a cost of $150 a day as she tried to get on another flight back to Shanghai.

Another Chinese student, who gave his name as David, was also on the Delta Air Lines flight that turned back from Shanghai last Wednesday.

"There were so many students [on the plane] ― many of them broke down" when the plane turned back, he said.

The 23-year-old, who recently graduated from Miami University, ended up paying $14,118 for a business-class flight from Los Angeles to Tianjin.

"[My father told me to] find another way, never mind how much it costs. Just come home," he said.

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