Chaotic scenes and lengthy hold-ups plague Newark Liberty Airport, disrupting holiday excursions over the weekend.
Heading to Newark Liberty Airport this weekend? Buckle up, buddy! The skies above the Garden State aren't exactly friendly, and I'm not just talking about the weather. Delays averaged almost two hours out of Newark by late Saturday afternoon, according to the Federal Aviation Administration though Scott Kirby, United's CEO, had a slightly more grim outlook.
United Airlines had to axe dozens of flights due to a hectic week of travel that left some passengers stranded. In Kirby's words, "United is committed to doing absolutely everything in our power to minimize the impact...So we are unilaterally cancelling 35 roundtrip flights per day from our Newark schedule starting this weekend."
The misery didn't stop there. Hundreds more flights at Newark were completely canceled, and dozens more were diverted to other airports. The root causes of these travel disruptions were varied, including construction, technical equipment failures, and understaffing. In fact, one of the runways at Newark is out of commission until mid-June due to construction, which has limited the airport's operation capacity to connections with 76 U.S. cities and 81 international countries.
Jaki Maurey-Delaunay learned the hard way about the delays, as she and her son faced them while flying in from London on Saturday afternoon. With family back in New Jersey, every minute counts, and the pair made the trip just for a 24-hour family event. But when Jaki got an alert on Thursday warning of possible congestion and asking if she wanted to change her flight, she decided to hold tight.
"I was a bit panicked getting to the airport," she said.
The cascading effects of these delays wouldn't just stay north of the Mason-Dixon line, either. With staffing issues at the Philadelphia TRACON, a traffic control facility that guides flights in and out of Newark, passengers at other airports across the country also felt the sting of these delays.
According to Kirby, "Without these controllers...it's now clear that Newark airport cannot handle the number of planes that are scheduled to operate there in the weeks and months ahead."
The staffing shortage at the Philadelphia TRACON is not a new issue, and the FAA acknowledges that it has been chronically understaffed for years. To alleviate the problem, the FAA is looking into incentives to lure more controllers to the force. They're also considering recruiting military controllers, offering bonuses for academy graduates, and working with controllers nearing retirement to try and persuade them to stick around until the required age of 56.
The FAA's plan to address the staffing shortages also includes an investment of $12.5 billion to modernize aging ATC systems, which will upgrade telecommunications and radar equipment at key facilities like Philadelphia TRACON. This update should help reduce technical failures that exacerbate the staffing shortages. It's a massive undertaking, but we'll keep our fingers crossed that it means smoother sailing for travelers like Jaki Maurey-Delaunay in the future. In the meantime, better pack those patience pills!
- Jaki Maurey-Delaunay, traveling from London, faced delays at Newark Liberty Airport due to the weekend's wide-ranging disruptions in the transportation industry.
- As United Airlines experienced a hectic week of travel, they had to cancel numerous flights from their Newark schedule, citing understaffing as one of the contributing factors.
- The finance industry is looking to invest $12.5 billion to modernize aging ATC systems, with the aim of reducing technical equipment failures and improving staff performance at key facilities like the Philadelphia TRACON.
- The retirement of controllers nearing their required age of 56 is a concern for the FAA, as it may exacerbate the ongoing understaffing issues at facilities like the Philadelphia TRACON.
- In the wake of these travel disruptions and the challenges facing the transportation industry, it's wise for travelers like Jaki to plan ahead, pack their patience, and brace for potential lifestyle adjustments in their upcoming trips.
