United Airlines announced Friday that it would give pilots triple pay for additional flights as severe weather and the omicron variant continue to wreak havoc on the airline industry, with thousands of flights delayed since Christmas.

Bryan Quigley, the company's flight operations chief, stated in a staff letter acquired by NBC News that pilots will earn three and a half times their regular compensation for additional flights between Dec. 30 and Jan. 3.

According to the message, they'll earn quadruple pay for additional flying between Jan. 4 and 29.

Quigley described the offer as "significant" and stated that the firm negotiated a deal with the Airline Pilots Association to "to do everything we can to take care of our customers during this challenging time."

According to CNBC, since Dec. 23, United, Delta, Alaska, and other airlines have canceled more than 10,000 flights. The corporations have attributed the increase in sick calls to winter conditions and the highly transmissible omicron form spread throughout the United States and the world.

According to FlightAware's flight-tracking website, approximately 1,600 flights into and out of the United States were canceled on Friday.

Denver International Airport, where a blizzard was forecast to dump up to a half-foot of snow, has the most cancellations in the world, with 157 as of Friday afternoon.

While the temporary salary increase is in force at United, rest rules for pilots and the number of hours they are permitted to work will stay unchanged, a company official said.

The official could not provide any details about the constraints but stated: "The main thing is that most pilots have room in their schedules (within the limits) to pick up extra trips, and this gives them additional compensation if they choose to do that."

The union did not immediately react to a request for comment regarding the agreement's potential to fatigue their pilots dangerously.