United Airlines CEO Scott Kirby took the FAA to task for reducing arrivals by 40% and departures by 75% at Newark, in a memo to airline east coast employees.
But travelers had complaints about United Airlines, too, saying some were stuck for days at Newark airport, unable to book another flight after theirs were canceled. Others complained of a “Hunger Games”-like scramble to customer service counters to rebook flights after they couldn’t do so on the airline’s app or by phone.
An airline spokesperson said Thursday the airline is working to clear delays and reunite passengers and their baggage In addition to bad weather and over-scheduling, two experts said airlines still have staffing shortages that can’t keep up with increased passenger volumes. Delays have a cascading effect when flights arrive late, affecting other flights, said Kerry Tan, Associate Professor of Economics at Loyola University in Maryland.