Following a super chaotic week of delays and cancellations at Newark Liberty International Airport thanks to some FAA equipment problems and staffing shortages, the big boss over at United Airlines has basically thrown in the towel. Yup, CEO Scott Kirby said they gotta cancel some flights, no ifs, ands, or buts.
Starting this weekend, United is axing a whopping 35 roundtrip flights per day from their Newark schedule. Kirby spilled the beans in a letter to customers, letting them know what’s up. Apparently, this week alone, Newark flights were all kinds of messed up. Runway construction didn’t help matters, either.
The FAA has been dealing with equipment glitches at its Philadelphia TRACON center, which is like the brains behind the operation for Newark Liberty’s airspace. This whole mess has been causing major headaches for passengers. To top it off, there’s been a shortage of air traffic controllers, with over 20% of the controllers for EWR deciding to clock out. Classic.
Kirby didn’t hold back, mentioning in his letter that this specific air traffic control spot has been short-staffed for ages. Now that these controllers are MIA, it’s crystal clear – according to the FAA, anyways – that Newark airport can’t handle the number of planes scheduled to come through in the near future.
When asked about Kirby’s letter, the FAA played it cool, saying they’re slowing things down at Newark Liberty International Airport due to the ongoing runway construction at Newark and staffing woes at Philadelphia TRACON. Translation: brace yourself for more chaos.
Aviation expert JP Tristani chimed in, basically saying we’re in for a rough ride as travel ramps up heading into summer. “Therein lies many of your problems that are ongoing and are going to get worse as the summer season progresses and we have far more tourists and flights trying to get in all these airports,” Tristani added. Sounds like a fun time.
Kirby didn’t sit on his hands, though. He had a chat with U.S Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy on Friday to discuss the ongoing mess. Duffy spilled the beans on Thursday, mentioning the FAA’s plan to dish out cash incentives to fill a gap of 3,000 controllers and give their workforce a boost. Stay tuned for more deets on new air traffic control infrastructure.
NBC New York tried to get the lowdown from the Port Authority, the ones in charge of Newark Airport, but they’re keeping mum for now. Not really sure why this matters, but hey, we tried.
In a nutshell, Newark Liberty International Airport is in for a bumpy ride. With delays, cancellations, staffing shortages, and ongoing construction, it’s a recipe for disaster. Let’s hope things smooth out sooner rather than later. Just another day in the life of air travel, right?
