© Reuters. The World Trade Center and New York skyline are seen as United Airlines planes use the runway at Newark Liberty International Airport in Newark, New Jersey, US, May 12, 2023. REUTERS/Eduardo Munoz/File Photo
By Anirudh Saligrama
(Reuters) – United Airlines CEO Scott Kirby said on Saturday that United Airlines plans to make changes in flight operations to avoid weather-related disruptions ahead of travel for the Fourth of July holiday.
Recent disruptions to flights have raised new concerns about whether airlines are ready to handle a summer travel boom over the Fourth of July holiday when US air traffic is likely to exceed pre-COVID levels.
“As we work to control the things that are within our control, we must also do a better job of planning against the things that are outside our control so that we can recover more quickly,” Kirby said in a note. .
Last month, United canceled about 19% of its scheduled flights as thunderstorms and equipment failures at a US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) facility in Washington caused significant delays for air travelers on the US East Coast.
About 26,000 flights were delayed by all airlines over the weekend in June after thunderstorms swept parts of the United States, according to data from flight-monitoring service FlightAware. Kirby last week blamed the Federal Aviation Administration for the recent flight cancellations.
United Airlines is also working with the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey to get more gates, Kirby said, adding that the company will have to change or reduce its schedule to give itself more reserve gates and buffers, especially during storm season.
“Airlines can plan for things like hurricanes, sub-zero temperatures and blizzards, but United has never experienced an extended, limited operating environment like the one we saw last week in Newark,” Kirby said in a note to employees.