United Airlines CEO Scott Kirby acknowledges the necessity of more departure gates to mitigate severe travel delays that have caused significant inconveniences for passengers ahead of the Fourth of July holiday. The adverse weather conditions throughout the past week have resulted in over 42,000 flight delays and more than 7,900 cancellations across airlines nationwide, as reported by FlightAware.
During this period, United Airlines had to cancel over 3,000 flights due to disruptions in New York area airports caused by the severe weather. Kirby described the week as one of the most operationally challenging in his career, noting the limitation of the airline’s largest hub’s capacity for four consecutive days. He emphasized the need for schedule adjustments and spare gates, especially during thunderstorm season to ensure successful operations.
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) temporarily grounded flights in the New York area on Tuesday due to thunderstorms obstructing arrival and departure routes at airports such as La Guardia Airport, JFK International Airport, and Newark Liberty International Airport.
Kirby initially criticized the FAA for their actions, stating they had “failed us this weekend.” United Airlines has provided affected travelers with 30,000 frequent flyer miles as compensation for the delays and inconveniences.
Furthermore, Kirby issued an apology for flying on a private jet from Teterboro Airport in New Jersey to Denver while passengers were stranded at the airport. He acknowledged the insensitivity of his decision and expressed remorse to customers and team members working tirelessly to manage the situation. Kirby also called for increased efforts from the FAA to enhance air traffic control.
The number of canceled and delayed United Airlines flights considerably decreased on Saturday compared to previous days. As of 5 p.m. EDT, there were 56 cancellations and 523 delays, down from 252 cancellations and 1,326 delays on Friday.
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