United Airlines CEO Scott Kirby has met with the head of the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) following the airline’s much-publicized operational failures. Kirby had earlier accused the FAA of failing passengers during a period of severe storms along the US East Coast.
United CEO and FAA chief talk it out
As reported by Reuters, Kirby met with Acting FAA Administrator Polly Trottenberg on Tuesday in the aftermath of one of United’s worst periods of operational disruption in recent memory. While the meeting has not been officially acknowledged by the FAA or United, an FAA spokesperson said the agency “will always collaborate with anyone seriously willing to join us to solve a problem.”
Photo:Â EQRoy/Shutterstock
Almost a full week of thunderstorms on the East Coast severely impacted United’s operations in the lead-up to the busy July 4th holiday period – the situation was exacerbated by the FAA’s ongoing shortage of air traffic controllers, with Kirby estimating that around 150,000 United passengers were affected by cancellations and delays.
In response, United’s CEO laid out the airline’s plan of action to prevent this from happening again – the five-point plan includes improvements to crew technology, more collaboration with the FAA, supporting the FAA Reauthorization Act, achieving the right balance in departures and arrivals, and striving to add more gates at its Newark Liberty International Airport (EWR) hub.
A change of tune
At a Politico forum on Tuesday, Kirby was more upbeat about the FAA’s role in recent disruptions, claiming the regulator had been “particularly helpful, responsive and communicative” over the past two weeks.
Photo: United Airlines
Kirby added that the FAA performed well during a fresh bout of thunderstorms on Sunday which forced United to cancel around 30% of its flight in the New York area.
Kirby said,
“It’s been the best two weeks that we’ve ever had.”
On June 26th, Kirby wrote to employees regarding the carrier’s operational challenges, claiming “the FAA quite frankly failed us this weekend.” The CEO then faced public backlash after catching a private jet out of New York in the midst of the disruption, later claiming it “was the wrong decision because it was insensitive to our customers who were waiting to get home.”
Understaffing continues
The FAA continues to suffer from a shortage of air traffic controllers more than three years after the beginning of the COVID pandemic. The agency has predicted a 45% increase in flight delays this summer due to the shortage, which is particularly bad at the New York Terminal Radar Approach Control (TRACON) facility.
Photo:Â Paparacy/Shutterstock
Kirby added,
“They deserve a lot of credit for what they have been doing the last few weeks because they’re 54% staffed in New York and to have that event be managed and contained was some heroic efforts.”
Who do you think was most responsible for the severe travel disruption seen in the run-up to the July 4th holidays? How can airlines avoid this happening again in the future? Let us know your thoughts in the comments.
Source: Reuters
United Airlines
- IATA/ICAO Code:
- UA/UAL
- Airline Type:
- Full Service Carrier
- Hub(s):
- Chicago O’Hare International Airport, Denver International Airport, Guam International Airport, Houston George Bush Intercontinental Airport, Los Angeles International Airport, Newark Liberty International Airport, San Francisco International Airport, Washington Dulles International Airport
- Year Founded:
- 1931
- Alliance:
- Star Alliance
- CEO:
- Scott Kirby
- Country:
- United States
