Affected customers who experienced overnight delays or were unable to reach their destination will receive 30,000 MileagePlus points.
GLOUnited Airlines plans to compensate customers who experienced significant disruptions during the airline’s series of flight cancellations and delays between June 24 and June 30. Affected customers who experienced overnight delays or were unable to reach their destination will receive 30,000 MileagePlus points.
Linda Jojo, the chief customers officer of United Airlines, acknowledged the challenges faced by the airline and emphasized the need to manage both controllable and uncontrollable factors in running an airline. She communicated this message to customers in a letter over the July 4 holiday weekend.
FlightAware data reveals that United Airlines canceled over 3,200 mainline flights, which accounted for 19.6% of its mainline schedule, between June 25 and June 30. Additionally, 54% of flights during that period experienced delays.
The disruptions began before severe thunderstorms hit the New York-New Jersey area on June 25 and June 26, causing significant issues for United’s Newark hub. United CEO Scott Kirby attributed many of the airline’s difficulties to staffing shortages and the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), which reduced arrival and departure rates at Newark ahead of the storm.
However, Kirby provided a more detailed explanation of the week-long breakdown in a letter to staff on June 30. He outlined steps that United will take to prevent a recurrence of such incidents. Kirby mentioned that the FAA imposed substantial reductions in departures per hour at Newark from June 24 to June 27, including significant reductions for extended periods on June 26 and June 27.
Kirby also noted the challenges posed by thunderstorms post-pandemic, particularly in relation to Newark. He explained that Canada, like the FAA, faced a shortage of air traffic controllers, leading to the closure of routes that United previously used to reroute flights north to avoid storms coming from the west.
Following the storms on June 25 and June 26, United faced difficulties recovering for the remainder of the week due to widespread operational disruptions that left aircraft and crew members out of position across the country.
Kirby had previously highlighted measures taken by United to improve reliability in the constrained post-pandemic environment, such as increased staffing, conservative scheduling, and more spare aircraft.
In response to the recent events, Kirby outlined additional measures United will implement to strengthen operations. These include further schedule reductions at Newark, particularly during thunderstorm season, and efforts to secure more gates in collaboration with the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey. United is also working with the FAA on achieving a balance between arrival and departure rates to avoid taxiway congestion.
Kirby reassured staff members that United will upgrade crew scheduling technology to automate the process fully, eliminating long hold times experienced by stranded crew members. He emphasized the importance of planning against factors beyond the airline’s control while striving to manage controllable elements.
