United Airlines can reduce schedules at Newark Liberty International Airport (EWR) and refine its crew scheduling technology, after a week the airline saw thousands of flights disrupted.
“This has been one of the most challenging active weeks I’ve experienced in my entire career,” United CEO Scott Kirby wrote in a memo to staff on Saturday.
The memo obtained by TPG outlines a series of next steps United intends to pursue to avoid another operational mess leading to a full-blown crisis.
Want more specific airline news? Sign up for TPG’s free biweekly Aviation newsletter.
Last week, United suffer from mass cancellations and delays, incidentally recovers later a series of thunderstorms in the northeast and air traffic restrictions have restricted air travel in the area. Newark, one of United’s major hubs, also led the way in cancellations and delays last week.
While other airlines recovered quickly from the storm, United struggled to return to normal operations quickly, as staffing issues contributed to delays and cancellations for airlines. airline flights around the country.
The memo attributed the airline’s widespread disruption to problems at Newark, saying a lack of air traffic control over US and Canadian airspace had resulted in a drop in United departures per hour. significantly.
Thunderstorms in Newark closed two departures that United used to fly out west of the airport. Usually, when those routes are not available, United can detour through Canadian airspace. However, those routes have also been closed, leaving the Chicago-based carrier with few resources.
The level of disruption United experienced at Newark resulted in staffing shortages, which further caused delays and cancellations in the wake of the storm, as teams around the country were left abandoned.
Sign up for our daily newsletter
Kirby doubled down on using Newark as its main hub but also said it is “the hardest airport to operate in the country.” This is because the airport has no position control, allowing planes to fill the taxiway during unpredictable weather conditions such as thunderstorms.
However, Kirby said in the memo that United needed to balance out arrivals and departures from Newark because the airport was packed during the storm. He also said that United may need to reduce its schedule to have more backup ports to buffer in the event of a thunderstorm.
Kirby mentioned in the memo that the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey is also considering providing United with more ports to avoid congestion along taxiways.
United’s announcement comes as the United States is experiencing one of its busiest travel holiday weekends, with the Transportation Security Administration screening nearly 3 million passengers. Severe thunderstorms, wildfire smoke and a record heatwave are also expected to cause further disruption to the July 4 weekend travel.
So far, United’s operations have improved after a tumultuous week, with the flight tracking page Flight knowledge showing only 37 cancellations and 153 delays to the airline’s main schedule as of noon EDT on Monday.
Staffing has been a big thorn in the side for United in the recovery process. A memo from the Association of Flight Attendants-CWA circulate June 27, said crew members often find themselves waiting for hours to be scheduled. Kirby responded to those staffing issues in the memo, saying that United will move more of its crew schedules online, so crew members don’t have to call and wait for assignments.
United initially blamed the Federal Aviation Administration for travel troubles after the agency reduced arrival and departure rates. The FAA has long struggled with staffing issues, outdated technology and a lack of funding, issues that came to light after the agency grant a nationwide shutdown rate in January.
As a result, Kirby said it also plans to work with the FAA to find long-term solutions to its staffing issues; He also said the company would lobby Congress to pass a reauthorization bill, which would set aside some funds for hiring and improving its technology.
“My general takeaway is that while we work to control the things that are within our control,” says Kirby, “we must also do a better job of planning against the things that are beyond our control.” our control so we can be in a position to recover faster.”
Related readings:
