United Airlines had an absolutely awful week operationally, as the airline canceled thousands of flights, stranding hundreds of thousands of passengers during one of the busiest travel periods of the year. One big question that many people have been asking is “why?” Why did United have such a bad meltdown when other airlines didn’t?
Well, a memo has gone out to United employees, outlining what went wrong, and how United plans to prevent this in the future. Let me start by posting a copy of the note, and then I’ll share my take.
In this post:
Scott Kirby’s note to employees about meltdown
Here’s the memo that was sent to United employees, signed by CEO Scott Kirby:
Team:
This has been one of the most operationally challenging weeks I’ve experienced in my entire career.
Airlines can plan for things like hurricanes, sub-zero temperatures and snowstorms, but United has never seen an extended limited operating environment like the one we saw this past week at Newark.
But through it all, you continue to be truly amazing – many of you are working on just a few hours of sleep under unbelievably difficult circumstances to heroically take care of each other and our customers. While I often say my goal is to create an airline that you’re proud of, this week especially, I’m very proud of you.
So, what happened?
While there was weather around the system, the truly unprecedented severe weather was focused at EWR. We dealt with severe restrictions on flight operations starting Saturday that lasted through Tuesday.
• EWR has 40 departures per hour scheduled;
• On June 25, we were limited to less than 20 departures per hour for four hours;
• On June 26, we were limited to less than 20 departures per hour for nine hours;
• And on June 27, we were limited to less than 20 departures per hour for six hoursThat means the total number of aircraft that could depart EWR was reduced between 60-75% for an average of 6 to 8 hours each day. Airlines, including United, simply aren’t designed to have their largest hub have its capacity severely limited for four straight days and still operate successfully.
I shared my thoughts earlier this week about the FAA’s need to staff up. Since then, I have personally had incredibly thoughtful and constructive conversations with the FAA and Secretary Buttigieg. The current FAA leadership team inherited these challenges, and to their credit, they have been public that they’re thousands of controllers short — and the NY/NJ airspace, in particular, is understaffed. N90, which manages all the New York and EWR airports, is also probably the most technically challenging job anywhere in the world in aviation which means that experience also makes a difference.
But here’s how those staffing issues, combined with days of rolling thunderstorms, really impacted United:
Thunderstorms moving west to east typically hit EWR first when they roll through the NYC area, and that closes the two departure fixes that aircraft use to travel west out of EWR. Pre-pandemic, when that happened, some of our flights still had a chance to depart to the north and then fly west over Canadian airspace to get where they needed to go. Sure, in those cases the flights were longer, and we took delays, but we didn’t have to cancel. But today, Canada’s air traffic control is short staffed too, so they’ve closed those routes. So now, we often get reduced to a single digit (and often zero) departures per hour. And that’s basically what happened between June 24-27. The reality is that EWR simply can’t function under thunderstorm conditions unless there are departure routes to the west and that’s one of the biggest takeaways that the FAA is diligently working on with us and Canada.
And after the storms ended, it took us a few more days to recover. The level of disruption we experienced left our aircraft and crews scattered around the country and out of position. There are, however, definitely things we can learn to do better in the future to recover faster.
Here are five things that immediately come to mind:
1. More improvements to our crew technology. Our crew systems are among the best in the world, but they’re simply not designed for what we went through this past week. We had very long hold times, and while we already have a lot of online capability, we still have far too much manual work – that’s not acceptable. Our goal in the future is that you won’t need to call crew scheduling and can self-serve and do everything online via an app that’s just as good as our customer-facing app. We’re committed to making that a top priority.
2. Partnership with the FAA is critical. Like I said, the FAA is engaged on this, and they’ve taken significant steps in the short term like bringing in more senior managers on weekends and working with NATCA to cover for any vacation/sick calls. Plus, we both have significantly increased the day-to-day communication between the FAA and United, with a focus on EWR.
3. Support FAA efforts to find long term solutions. First and foremost, that means continuing to advocate for passage of the bipartisan FAA reauthorization bill that gets them the right staffing, invests in infrastructure and technology modernization, and gives the FAA more certainty in investing so that they can accomplish long term projects. We are also supportive of the FAA’s initiative to move EWR ATC from N90 to PHI which we and the FAA believe will help with operations at all three large NY area airports.
4. We need to balance departures and arrivals at EWR. When departure routes are shut down (because of thunderstorms to the west), arriving aircraft keep landing and because aircraft can’t depart to create space for them, they fill up the taxi ways because they are stuck in a long line. lf just one aircraft in that line is waiting to depart, then all the aircraft behind them are stuck and so, the whole conga line is trapped. The traditional way the FAA manages capacity constraints is arrival rates. At most airports, that is fine because there are multiple taxiways, gates, and other places to park aircraft, but they’ve agreed with us to work on balancing arrivals and departures at EWR, in particular.
5. EWR is the best international gateway that exists anywhere in the country. But it’s also the most operationally difficult airport in the country. The Port Authority is working with us to get more gates (which are critical to avoid gridlock on the taxiways), but we are going to have to further change/reduce our schedule to give ourselves even more spare gates and buffer – especially during thunderstorm season.
My general takeaway is while we work to control the things that are within our control, we also must do an even better job of planning against the things that are outside our control so that we can be in a position to recover more quickly.
I’ll end this note where I started which is to say thank you and that I’m proud of you. It was an awfully difficult week of unprecedented circumstances, but you stayed standing and did everything in your power to get us through it.
We’re still monitoring several storms, but our operation is back on track this morning.
Thank you again for your resilience, professionalism and commitment to taking care of our customers, especially when times are tough.
Best,
Scott
My take on United’s explanation of operational issues
Let me start by saying that I’ve lost a lot of respect for Scott Kirby this week, when he escaped Newark by private jet to go to his vacation home, since he couldn’t reliably get there on United. My issue isn’t with him going on a private jet, or even working remotely. Rather my issue is the optics.
Ultimately a CEO can’t personally fix every issue, and if they hire the right people, those people should be able to help with finding solutions. The issue is that as CEO, he should be setting the tone for employees. United employees are working overtime, sleeping in cots, and spending hours on hold with crew scheduling, all while you find out that your CEO is avoiding all of those problems by taking a private jet, because he’s rich. This is something many employees won’t forget, and that’s not good for the airline.
With that out of the way, I have to give United huge credit for this explanation. I say “United” rather than “Kirby” because the airline has some really smart communications folks (including a former White House Press Secretary) who are clearly behind this, and I’m not sure Kirby deserves all that much credit here.
But honestly, this explanation is thorough and accurate (well, except calling Newark the best international gateway in the country?), and also immediately explains what the airline will do in the future to minimize the odds of something like this happening. Essentially the meltdown boils down to a few things:
- Newark is a very difficult airport to operate out of when there’s weather, especially in the peak of summer, when airlines are pushed to their max, and especially with the shortage of air traffic controllers; the only fault United has for the initial problem is just how big the carrier’s operation is at the airport
- As we saw with Southwest’s meltdown over the holidays, crew scheduling software needs an upgrade; the thing is, 99.99% of the time it does exactly what it’s supposed to, so airlines have a hard time justifying the investment, but when things go wrong, they go really wrong
I do think it’s noteworthy how there’s no apology whatsoever to employees, but rather just repeated mentions of how Kirby is “proud” of employees. I imagine that’s deliberate, though it seems like acknowledging that employees were failed by the crew scheduling system (at a minimum) would be appropriate.
This note from Kirby is such a contrast to how Southwest communicated during its meltdown. The note to United employees acknowledges lots of important points while the airline is still recovering, while Southwest CEO Bob Jordan couldn’t even acknowledge the cause of the carrier’s meltdown a month after it happened.
Bottom line
A note signed by United Airlines CEO Scott Kirby has been sent to employees at the airline, outlining the cause of the carrier’s meltdown, and what will be done to prevent something like this in the future. While I have issues with how Kirby acted during the meltdown, and while I’m confident it wasn’t Kirby who wrote this note, I’m still very impressed by the explanation.
It’s thorough, it’s accurate, and it explains what will change. And best of all, this is being communicated just shortly after the issues happened.
What do you make of Kirby’s note to employees?
I have only one expectation from United at this point. Complete reimbursement of all monies spent on the 2 days/ nights I was stranded in a city in which I did not live.
And how dare you “Scott”.
As an actual flight crew member that email was absolutely infuriating. It might sound good released to the public and it might even address some contributors factors. It does miss it by a mile for morale. The company leaders go takes zero accountability and they do not ever apologize for the company leaving crews not only displaced, but uninformed. We have had irregular operations in the past but last summer and this summer has been...
As an actual flight crew member that email was absolutely infuriating. It might sound good released to the public and it might even address some contributors factors. It does miss it by a mile for morale. The company leaders go takes zero accountability and they do not ever apologize for the company leaving crews not only displaced, but uninformed. We have had irregular operations in the past but last summer and this summer has been the first time ever we can recall that no matter how hard we tried we couldn’t reach the company, we weren’t contacted or schedules updated even after extended delays and cancellations. We are expected to jump through hoops to stay out of trouble but the airline has no loyalty or apparent care for what they are putting us through. Most of us are over it and are tired of making excuses. I could write a lot of great memo’s - what I’m done with is apologizing for things out of my control and doing so daily.
2.5 years into the Biden presidency and they still cannot figure out staffing issues for controllers? Incompetence and not inherited. Also Newark sucks as an airport!
Congrats on the most ignorant comment in this sites history.
No mention of improving crew scheduling to better & longer training & pay increase. THEY are the CRUX of the operation! The crew desk of the past knew our contract & never violated it, knowingly. They NEVER had a meltdown! They dealt with weather, strikes & personal lives & traumas of "their" flight attendants. And they always got the job done! They became not important to the company & disrespected & disappeared from our view....
No mention of improving crew scheduling to better & longer training & pay increase. THEY are the CRUX of the operation! The crew desk of the past knew our contract & never violated it, knowingly. They NEVER had a meltdown! They dealt with weather, strikes & personal lives & traumas of "their" flight attendants. And they always got the job done! They became not important to the company & disrespected & disappeared from our view. They became an invisible voice & an 800 number. So sad! I'm happy that I had this visible, supportive team throughout my junior years on reserve.
Infrastructure beyond its prime, lack of investment in the state of the art technologies, poor services to deal with even light inclement weather and a monopolistic industry not interested in improving mean that Americans should get used to spending more time at airports.
Don’t think the general public fully understands how fragile the aviation ecosystem is at the best of times. Post Covid pfffftttt.
All sectors of the system ; ATC, Airports, and Airlines. Bent and oh so close to breaking and staffing is to me at least the leading factor by far.
EWR is the best international gateway in the country lol what a joke. More like the best gateway out of New Jersey;) He’s monitoring the situation from his chartered corporate jet. While people sleep on the floor due to his dismal management.
I like how there is no mention of the over worked and over scheduled aircrews with minimal rest each day with no room to flex. This fuels the butterfly effect throughout the system when you have an event like this. Don't blame it all on the FAA.
From what I understand, however, the flight attendants union previously pushed back AGAINST United's desires to modernize and automate the crew scheduling systems.
Not excusing Kirby by any means but do we officially know he was going on vacation / to a vacation home? Haven’t actually seen that reported any where but here.
UA made an announcement that the CEO himself paid for the private plane and not the company. This makes it sound like a personal/vacation trip. Times of crisis are also opportunities to build customer trust and show role model leadership. I would have expected to see all hands on deck attitude but unfortunately, it was a huge missed opportunity.
Given the current state of raging fires in Canada and the impact on their neighbor, and perhaps the increasing number of cancelled Canadian flights, might it have been prudent of United’s CEO to engage Secretary Buttigieg to quickly open a dialog with Canada to temporarily free up more airspace???
And that is why Continental Airlines kept Cleveland as a hub as it was Plan B when hit the fan in Newark.
I will have to say in Ewr many employees at the airport are under extreme fatigue with been call to stay 4 hours everyday making them leave home at 4am or 5am and to come back to more cancellations. Agents are fatigue trying to find protections but no extra sections for cancel flights. I feel bad for united employees who are in airport constantly rebooking and above all customers yelling and using extreme foul language....
I will have to say in Ewr many employees at the airport are under extreme fatigue with been call to stay 4 hours everyday making them leave home at 4am or 5am and to come back to more cancellations. Agents are fatigue trying to find protections but no extra sections for cancel flights. I feel bad for united employees who are in airport constantly rebooking and above all customers yelling and using extreme foul language. Remember that are humans and mentally exhausted and draining to them.
There have been very few ATC delays today and UA started the day with dozens of cancellations and still leads the industry at this hour even if all they have is 1% of flights cxld-just as was the case before their meltdown of the last week of June.
UA's schedule was beyond the airline's capability to deliver and the thunderstorms just exposed their vulnerability.
The next bad ATC situation in the NE or anywhere...
There have been very few ATC delays today and UA started the day with dozens of cancellations and still leads the industry at this hour even if all they have is 1% of flights cxld-just as was the case before their meltdown of the last week of June.
UA's schedule was beyond the airline's capability to deliver and the thunderstorms just exposed their vulnerability.
The next bad ATC situation in the NE or anywhere else could end up with the same result until UA staffs sufficiently to staff the schedule they publish.
Zero acknowledgment or apology from the CEO of his personal actions - how is that "impressive?" Also this is laughable: "EWR is the best international gateway that exists anywhere in the country. But it’s also the most operationally difficult airport in the country." Sure, Scott.
He should add a bullet point to their employees:
"A Note: When you have a group reservation of 40 teenagers in route to Japan... you put those kids in a plane no matter what, You do not leave them stranded for 6 days in Newark... I repeat You do not leave them sleeping on the floor with no food and then stranded in the airport hotel for 6 days."
Those Kids saved for 2...
He should add a bullet point to their employees:
"A Note: When you have a group reservation of 40 teenagers in route to Japan... you put those kids in a plane no matter what, You do not leave them stranded for 6 days in Newark... I repeat You do not leave them sleeping on the floor with no food and then stranded in the airport hotel for 6 days."
Those Kids saved for 2 years to go on a school trip and lost their opportunity because United placed them on a 7-hour waiting queue.
Of course United's decesion not to use JFK for any operations meant the loss of any alternate possibilities of easing the situation. Thats it, "put all you eggs in one basket" use EWR as your only access to the NYC area and then end up as you did,
JFK had cancellations too, just not concentrated on one carrier. Our flight was cancelled while we waited to takeoff at end of runway at JFK
American Airlines seems to have a reputation for setting up flights that it never intends on taking. I was in Dallas flying to New Orleans. Our flight was delayed due to no flight crew. At 11pm we were told we had a pilot coming from Miami. An hour later the pilot was coming from Boston. When the flight arrived from Boston at 1:30AM, the pilots were unaware of what we were being told and had...
American Airlines seems to have a reputation for setting up flights that it never intends on taking. I was in Dallas flying to New Orleans. Our flight was delayed due to no flight crew. At 11pm we were told we had a pilot coming from Miami. An hour later the pilot was coming from Boston. When the flight arrived from Boston at 1:30AM, the pilots were unaware of what we were being told and had no intentions of taking on another flight. Around 2AM (+) we were finally informed there was no pilot. Vouchers were being issued for a hotel but of course didn't include transfers and we were expected to be back at the airport by 6-7AM. The employees were extremely rude and when paying customers were expressing their discontent they threatened to walk away. I guess they fail to understand we pay their salaries. We didn't wait in the 30ft long line but left with other guests to find a hotel and book a guaranteed flight on another airline the next day..... Southwest came through where American lacked, flight and great customer service.
I agree with your take from a leadership perspective. Also, EWR sucks. :)
How can a hub be both the best international gateway and be operationally difficult at the same time? It isn’t the best unless the stars align. Typical CEO CYA deflect blame to others memo. The network and system has weak points and he has a lot of work to do to fix it. I would be outraged if I had been left in Newark Airport for days like many are reporting on mainstream media.
I'm so relieved that Buttegieg is on the case.
Untied is a poorly ran business that has overspent (billions on new aircraft) yet has been bailed out by the United States government (tax payers) but then blames that same government for its failure to plan??!! I can think of another major airline that is huge in nyc (just look around yankee stadium for a guess), they seemed to recover just fine. It’s not us Scott, it’s you.
and Citi Field
Does anyone else find it odd that these only occur on National Holiday weekends; while the rest of the time regular people like myself have to work. Our bosses such as the CEO at United have no such limitation; I consider his apology pretty lame and offer points for a future fight insulting. If you care so much then pay the $5000 dollars guaranteed to each personnel that thru no fault of their own there...
Does anyone else find it odd that these only occur on National Holiday weekends; while the rest of the time regular people like myself have to work. Our bosses such as the CEO at United have no such limitation; I consider his apology pretty lame and offer points for a future fight insulting. If you care so much then pay the $5000 dollars guaranteed to each personnel that thru no fault of their own there vacation was ruined or had to be canceled by you who was jetting off in a private aircraft while thousands of hard working american were stranded
This does nothing to address core problems of an industry trying to operate on the cheap. More airline meltdowns will continue. And our Transportation Secretary? The average poster on Flyertalk knows more.
1st, how is it that Buttigieg has had 3 years at the helm but still the FAA problems have been "inherited"? I realize it is a governmental bureaucracy but c'mon, man. Kirby seems bent to protect the FAA, either to stay in their good graces, or because he is politically left-leaning, or both.
2nd, I'm a crew scheduler for a United Express company and I can tell you that crew scheduling software is atrocious...
1st, how is it that Buttigieg has had 3 years at the helm but still the FAA problems have been "inherited"? I realize it is a governmental bureaucracy but c'mon, man. Kirby seems bent to protect the FAA, either to stay in their good graces, or because he is politically left-leaning, or both.
2nd, I'm a crew scheduler for a United Express company and I can tell you that crew scheduling software is atrocious from top to bottom. To say that it works 99.99% like it is supposed to work is wrong. The best analogy is the duck on water. It looks peaceful and relaxed from above, but below those little legs are kicking like crazy.
3rd, EWR is probably one of the worst airports in the USA and maybe it's time to rethink the largest United hub there.
Same old same old
Kirby is no Herb Kelleher. That said, the airlines SNAFU situations will get worse in the name of climate change. TPTB would love to ground the whole industry -- except for themselves -- but it needs to look like the industry was unfairly backed into a corner with no way out. It's coming...
Kirby should not have left town - indisputable. An apology added to the thanks/I am proud even if UA had no culpability should have been there. Who actually wrote the letter totally irrelevant - a real cheap shot especially given the extent of the explanation. Share us the cheap shots
My son's flight out of Indianapolis was cancelled because of the EWR chaos. He had to get a hotel and the airline was not helpful and very dismissive.
The letter is missing significantly bigger set of operational issues. I was one of the unfortunate people with diverted flight from EWR to Dulles on 6/26. 1. After 3 hours of captivity in the plane (in Dulles), they opened the doors for passenger to get out (FAA rule). For the next 7 hours at the gate, the only communication was through the TV screen informing passengers that flight is getting delayed by another hour. There...
The letter is missing significantly bigger set of operational issues. I was one of the unfortunate people with diverted flight from EWR to Dulles on 6/26. 1. After 3 hours of captivity in the plane (in Dulles), they opened the doors for passenger to get out (FAA rule). For the next 7 hours at the gate, the only communication was through the TV screen informing passengers that flight is getting delayed by another hour. There was no one to talk to understand options and why some flights started to take off to EWR and our flight did not. it really felt like we were completely abandoned. After 7 hours of waiting, a bus ride offer from Dulles to EWR, was a good option! The only issue was how do I get my carry on bag, that I was forced to checkin at SFO. I was told to go to customer service desk, the only issue was there were only 2-3 people at the desk and the line extended from Gate 20 to beyond gate 14. At this rate, I could talk to an agent around 4 AM for my carry on bag. Then someone told us to go to baggage claim pick up for our bags and for bus rides. Only issue was there was no bag, long line of customers with the buses leaving in 30 minutes. Then someone showed up with a sign to call an 800 number to file a baggage claim form. The 800 number appeared to be for something else and talking to a representative was going to take at least another hour. They told us to go outside and look for UA bus. No Bus to be found. Finally the bus showed up, but perhaps the most heart breaking scene was seeing a handicapped person climbing the bus steps, on their hands and knees to try and board. No one from UA or Airport was there to help this gentleman. After 4 hours the bus arrived at EWR at around 4 AM, Tuesday morning. I went to baggage claim to file a baggage report and provided them the address of my hotel. I was told that it would take about 48 hours for delivery and was given another number to call to track the baggage. Unfortunately I was without my medication. For the next two days, the 800 number had a recording that the said they were still looking to find my luggage. On days 3 and 4, the recording said that my baggage was being delivered. No indication when. The day before my return from EWR to SFO, I still had no luggage and no idea where my bag was. I called the number and this time, I bit the bullet and decided to wait 3 hours to speak to a live agent. The agent couldn't find my bag and couldn't confirm when I will get it, so we both thought it was safest to have it shipped to my home in SF. She took all the information and gave me assurances that it was being handled and I will have my bag at my home in SF. Late Thursday evening, I received a text saying, "Baggage Delivery". I inquired where, and they said "your hotel". Really? And not my home?? At the same time, I received another text from UA saying my return flight on Friday morning from EWR to SFO had been cancelled. I called to try and rebook and found that there was another flight on the same day and same time, only with a different flight number. The agent couldn't explain why a new flight had been created and I was not on it. Perhaps being a "2 million miler", as UA calls me, wasn't big enough to qualify me for the new flight. They put me on an Alaska flight for the next day. This story high lights a significant set of operational issues, perhaps some cultural issues, that UA needs to address. While some people were working hard to try and help out, they are limited by poorly designed systems. No or poor communication and the feeling of being abandoned at EWR with no communication, highlights a cultural issue. I am afraid that the letter doesn't address the core of the issues with systems and culture. The CEO must be aware and that's why he took the private jet.
The lingering UA experience aside, how was your Alaska experience?
Alaska was fine. Seemed organized, flew on time and landed a bit early. Carry on Luggage, that I ended up checking at the gate (because the flight was full), showed up quickly upon arrival at SFO.
My wife & I experienced the same 4-day Tue-Sat stranded in Dulles last week. Total horror story. Exhausted standing in United's long rebooking lines (4 hrs Tue, 3 hrs Wed). The 1st rebooked flight was cancelled 2 hrs prior to takeoff. The 2nd rebooking was botched by the poor admittedly-exhausted gate agent who never could confirm the flight for us. She and all other gate agents within earshot were grumbling about having t use United's...
My wife & I experienced the same 4-day Tue-Sat stranded in Dulles last week. Total horror story. Exhausted standing in United's long rebooking lines (4 hrs Tue, 3 hrs Wed). The 1st rebooked flight was cancelled 2 hrs prior to takeoff. The 2nd rebooking was botched by the poor admittedly-exhausted gate agent who never could confirm the flight for us. She and all other gate agents within earshot were grumbling about having t use United's two reservation systems to rebook, and both are outdated and in bad need of replacement. The error on the 2nd rebooking showed we were not booked on the flight she told us, which would have cost us another 4 days to be stranded in IAD a total of 8 days until we got home. They were handing out lodging & food vouchers right & left, which were largely worthless after they expire in 24 hours, unless you come back to the airport to stand several more hours just to get a $15 food voucher. Since the vouchers were worthless, we self paid hotel & meals for days 2-4 of our stranding and yesterday filed a reimbursement claim. We will see how long this takes to collect. But after being a Mileage Plus member for 20 years, my wife and I have decided no more United ever again. I'm shopping other airlines & mileage plans this morning.
One thing for sure is Ed Bastian wouldn't do what scotty did... Ed walks the talk.
Many people believe that CEO pay in general is out of proportion to the value added by their efforts and especially so when considered in the context of hourly and lower level management salaries. This concern is not limited to the airlines.
So, this makes CEO's quick and available lightning rods in times of operational stress and grief for their organization. It's not brilliant, but nevertheless true, that any CEO who forgets about optics is...
Many people believe that CEO pay in general is out of proportion to the value added by their efforts and especially so when considered in the context of hourly and lower level management salaries. This concern is not limited to the airlines.
So, this makes CEO's quick and available lightning rods in times of operational stress and grief for their organization. It's not brilliant, but nevertheless true, that any CEO who forgets about optics is courting disaster in a time of danger.
Mr. Kirby's memo is strong in many ways, but he missed a key point. His memo is not humble or apologetic about the part of his personal behavior where he messed up through his insensitive behavior. He wasn't in the trenches with his team when he was getting on a private jet in the midst of everone else bailing like hell to keep the ship, his ship, from sinking. When the CEO lacks humility, he is definitely going to get in trouble more easily and struggle harder to get out of it.
The only thing impressive here is how hard Kirby is trying to save his ass.
the most impressive thing to do would have been to find out exactly why the arrival and departure rates were as low as they were - which probably would have eliminated needing to say anything to the public or the FAA (which is essentially what an employee letter is) as was said in the first letter.
the second would have been to either stick around in NY/NJ during the meltdown or quietly drive out...
the most impressive thing to do would have been to find out exactly why the arrival and departure rates were as low as they were - which probably would have eliminated needing to say anything to the public or the FAA (which is essentially what an employee letter is) as was said in the first letter.
the second would have been to either stick around in NY/NJ during the meltdown or quietly drive out of town back to Chicago rather than take a private jet to Colorado.
And the third most important thing would have been to never set up EWR to fail so badly as Scott Kirby - who pronounces himself as the greatest airline network guru on the planet - did.
all the spinning he is doing now has to be seen in light of those 3 epic failures.
What do I make of Scott Kirby’s comments? Not good enough. Stop defecting blame and do something. And apologize to your employees for your carefree attitude about their work and what they went through. And to United’s Bod, fire Scott Kirby — now.
It wasn't just Newark, it was system wide. People were delayed and on cots and on hold in Denver, San Francisco,and Boston - just to name a few. To single out one base is an insult.
They need to fly more wide bodies to reduce the number of slots. I am also reading between the lines that more pre-emptive EWR inbound ground stops are coming.
"EWR is the best international gateway that exists anywhere in the country."
Was that supposed to be a laugh line to break the ice?
How can anyone take this clown seriously when he spouts such bullshit?
Is it because there IT department is using legacy systems and not machine learning or AI to help mitigate situations like this? They should be on the cloud infrastructure to prevent these issues in the first place. They have plenty of choices: Oracle, AWS, M$FT, Google, etc..
AeRo
You missed one tech buzzword in your solution, blockchain. But that might be out of favor due to the crypto meltdown.
And point 6, United employees and customers do not need a CEO with a good ghostwriter. They need a CEO willing to lead in a crisis. The Board should begin their search today.
Kirby should be gone and Oscar should come back.
I'm canadian. live in Toronto. there is no shortage of ACTS here. he's lying
Wonder if a Hawker 800 from TEB to Colorado might have taken one of those valuable westbound slots...
Great memo. I’m sure Mayor Pete will fix it in no time! He’s the best.
He didn't send the letter to any of the flight attendants. He is a coward and a liar. The crew scheduling system isn't outdated, it's just that this "Numbers Guy" Kirby has skimmed that workforce down to so few people that there is simply not enough to handle issues. Even when there is no meltdown, wait times to speak to scheduling are exceptionally long. He has cut down on catering staff, ground staff, gate agents,...
He didn't send the letter to any of the flight attendants. He is a coward and a liar. The crew scheduling system isn't outdated, it's just that this "Numbers Guy" Kirby has skimmed that workforce down to so few people that there is simply not enough to handle issues. Even when there is no meltdown, wait times to speak to scheduling are exceptionally long. He has cut down on catering staff, ground staff, gate agents, reps, etc. He think's he's making so much money for his stockholders but he is turning his employees against him and quickly sinking the ship. People will go out of their way to avoid flying United because the only thing consistent is delays, cancellations, unhappy employees, and shit food.
well said and accurate.
UAL has the most competitive domestic route system of the big 4. AAL and UAL have both said they want to improve their operational reliability in order to improve their revenue performance.
Having your operation melt down in highly competitive markets does the opposite of helping you build your revenue premium.
And UAL's labor relations improved under Munoz from their historic very caustic levels but are quickly swinging...
well said and accurate.
UAL has the most competitive domestic route system of the big 4. AAL and UAL have both said they want to improve their operational reliability in order to improve their revenue performance.
Having your operation melt down in highly competitive markets does the opposite of helping you build your revenue premium.
And UAL's labor relations improved under Munoz from their historic very caustic levels but are quickly swinging back to the summer of 2000 and worse.
From a longtime but still "just a customer" of UA's point of view, what you wrote, Shayla, pretty well describes how UA looks to me. Cost-cutting, for whatever good or not-so-good reason, is making UA unattractive as a travel provider. I paid over $5000 for a business class trip to AMS...I am not a picky eater, but I simply could not eat the food because of its appearance, its temperature, the mismatched foods that made...
From a longtime but still "just a customer" of UA's point of view, what you wrote, Shayla, pretty well describes how UA looks to me. Cost-cutting, for whatever good or not-so-good reason, is making UA unattractive as a travel provider. I paid over $5000 for a business class trip to AMS...I am not a picky eater, but I simply could not eat the food because of its appearance, its temperature, the mismatched foods that made the other foods unpleasant options, the flight attendants' obvious lack of interest in the customer. Absolute waste of money for a very unpleasant travel experience. Which...I do not plan to repeat. Next trip to Europe will be in coach (I'm sure I will survive and sleep well anywhere in Europe!) without the diminished goods offered by UA currently. Used to be okay or even good, depending on which flight attendants happened to be assigned to me flight...but it has gone downhill in the last 2-3 years.
This is a lot bigger than missed flights. The rancor Kirby's use of private AC generated illustrates a growing and dangerous rift between haves and have-nots. Had he stayed at EWR to help staff, no change in flight departures would have occurred. It would have been useless window dressing. The anger arises from resentment that the privileged are exactly that - rich, privileged, in control and abandoning America. The Capitalist class don't want to pay...
This is a lot bigger than missed flights. The rancor Kirby's use of private AC generated illustrates a growing and dangerous rift between haves and have-nots. Had he stayed at EWR to help staff, no change in flight departures would have occurred. It would have been useless window dressing. The anger arises from resentment that the privileged are exactly that - rich, privileged, in control and abandoning America. The Capitalist class don't want to pay for infrastructure renovation that largely benefit the proletariat. As a Private Pilot, I can tell you there has been an FAA shortages (controllers, radar, computers, apps, etc) for 60 years because the Right won't pay. Ray Dalio, in his THE CHANGING WORLD ORDER, shows the have vs have-not conflict always devolves into social disorder.
Weather is not a new phenomenon. But corporations = profits over people. Bite off more than you can chew, don't be surprised when you start to choke.
How is it that Scott Kirby seemed to be able to understand the reason (weather) for the dramatically reduced capacity at EWR multiple days after his first memo to employees which itself trashed the FAA?
Perhaps if he had stayed in New Jersey, called the FAA and asked them to explain the reasons for the reduced flow rates (something apparently no one else at United understood or he didn't ask if someone did understand), he...
How is it that Scott Kirby seemed to be able to understand the reason (weather) for the dramatically reduced capacity at EWR multiple days after his first memo to employees which itself trashed the FAA?
Perhaps if he had stayed in New Jersey, called the FAA and asked them to explain the reasons for the reduced flow rates (something apparently no one else at United understood or he didn't ask if someone did understand), he wouldn't have needed a CYA follow-up memo.
And the fact is that UA has overscheduled EWR for years since slot controls there were dropped, specifically because UA did not use its slots to FAA requirements. When slot controls were dropped, other carriers including B6 flooded in and UA added flights the airport could not support.
Keep in mind that EWR has two effective runways, LGA also has 2 - (although intersecting, the FAA does a pretty good job of operating the intersecting runway model unless weather blocks routes to/from one of the runways) and JFK and has 3 effective runways.
Delta operates 15% more flights (with its regional carriers) over 2 hubs plus EWR while UA runs 90% of its NYC operation from EWR w/ just 10% at LGA.
UA, understandably, is not interested in seeing DL grow its presence in NYC any more but the simple fact is that DL's 2 airport NYC hub system works better from an operational standpoint than UA's EWR-focused system.
I agree with your points....but WHY do you ALWAYS need to reference DL in everything you post?
You're a smart guy, and therefore should understand you're like a broken record.
because in this case, DL is UA's most direct competitor in NYC. Scott Kirby is intensely competitive. He wouldn't be near as interested in trying to run EWR so hard if they were still the only show in NYC.
It is not just in NYC but DL and UA have set themselves up as the two biggest and most competitors to each other. There were many quarters after Scott Kirby came to UA that...
because in this case, DL is UA's most direct competitor in NYC. Scott Kirby is intensely competitive. He wouldn't be near as interested in trying to run EWR so hard if they were still the only show in NYC.
It is not just in NYC but DL and UA have set themselves up as the two biggest and most competitors to each other. There were many quarters after Scott Kirby came to UA that he specifically said on earnings calls that he intended to match and exceed Delta's financial performance. This meltdown is a significant step back in that quest for UA and a step forward for DL
Why is Stewart international airport so underutilized? It's easier to get to than Newark, short to no wait times at TSA lines, and the airport employees are friendlier.
Easier? Maybe if you live in Westchester County. From Midtown Manahattan, you're talking 1:30 with minimal traffic as opposed to 40-45 to EWR. My SIL lives across the bridge in NJ. 25 min to EWR, an hour to Stewart.
Thats why people don't use it.
How are you as a ceo going to demand another organization to staff up when your own company cannot. Maybe if ual had kept jfk as a route it wouldn't get to this point? I flew jetblue in the middle of all this and while jfk was chaos my evening flight which I thought would be canceled from all the days delay ended up 1.5 hours delayed. So what is the operational issue at ual?...
How are you as a ceo going to demand another organization to staff up when your own company cannot. Maybe if ual had kept jfk as a route it wouldn't get to this point? I flew jetblue in the middle of all this and while jfk was chaos my evening flight which I thought would be canceled from all the days delay ended up 1.5 hours delayed. So what is the operational issue at ual? We know they're not telling the whole story. Companies never do. And since most ceos are just figure heads waving flags their primary task is optics. Some that's all they know.
Southpark was right.
Blame it on Canada!
Can't wait until you invade Canada.
Then our system will be as screwed as yours.
And then we get Spirit and Frontier airline passengers trying to kill each other.
In-flight. Great.
"The current FAA leadership team inherited these challenges"....there it is...blame TRUMP TRUMP TRUMP!!!!!
Trump hasn't been the President in TWO AND A HALF YEARS. After how many years should we expect the current FAA and DOT administration to start taking responsibility for the current operating environment which THEY have presided over for the last 2.5 years.
This is just another crafted half-apology by a dimwit who just can't get Trump out of his head.
Because heaven knows that the Trump sycophants didn't do that to Obama for all four years. This is an entirely new concept that has never before been seen in politics, ain't it?
Have a seat.
So then just keep blaming Trump. You fall down a flight of stairs when you're drunk....blame Trump too!
It's just a bs excuse to suck at your job.
How do I do any of the above, when I've never blamed Trump for anything, don't drink, and am retired?
You really don't think much before writing, do you?
It’s incredible that you read this article and your takeaway from all of this is that the letter is somehow blaming Trump. Holy crap you need help. Get your lips off his ass and use your brain for 5 minutes. Jeez.
I read that comment to mean that bringing the FAA into the modern age has been back-burnered by many previous administrations, not simply the last one. Sad that we always jump to extreme politics at any opportunity.
Let's get trump permanently out of everyone's head. The snake oil conman needs to be convicted and banned from ever holding office again.
Trump is on your mind like a cancer.
You trump haters sound like those losers who are still pining for the ex... 2.5 years later.
How would you like it if your surgeon, in the middle of surgery, ripped off his gown and went off to Denver while you were still bleeding? Of course, you wouldn't like it.
Same here. CEO Kirby should have been at EWR, passing out vouchers, maybe even directing passengers to buses going to IAD. When Starlux had a problem in Japan, the CEO personally flew out to help.
CEO Kirby lays out the fact, which...
How would you like it if your surgeon, in the middle of surgery, ripped off his gown and went off to Denver while you were still bleeding? Of course, you wouldn't like it.
Same here. CEO Kirby should have been at EWR, passing out vouchers, maybe even directing passengers to buses going to IAD. When Starlux had a problem in Japan, the CEO personally flew out to help.
CEO Kirby lays out the fact, which does show that some of the fault is not with United but the ones who are solely in charge of recovery is United. When you are bleeding on the operating table, the surgeon tries to save you and fix you and not the FDA or FAA.
Airlines, including United, simply aren’t designed to have their largest hub have its capacity severely limited for four straight days
Wait, since when is EWR their largest hub??
When did it surpass Chicago, Houston, and Denver in terms of hub traffic?
Only way this makes any sense, is if he meant "largest international gateway," but that still would be odd, as domestic flights take up space and were part of the apron crowding as well.
United does carry more local market revenue from EWR than from any of their own hubs or of any other US airline from any other hub.
ATL is by far the largest hub for total revenue for DL and any other US airline but UA at EWR carries more local market revenue.
One fact is Kirby is driving employee relations to an all time low-he needs to be accountable.
Also they run a crew scheduling department with same number of schedulers as much smaller Spirit!!
Do better and you will be better
Perhaps the CSs at UA would prefer a monetary bonus for their good work those days rather than an ineffectual letter from an ineffectual CEO?
#5 though, EWR best in the country?! Totally lost me at that point tbh
The US airlines are screaming for modernizing ATC, but so long as its biggest users (airlines) don’t have to pay for it. Nothing will change until they open up and pay their large share.
IAD is the best UA international gateway for arriving, assuming you are connecting onward. That's because connecting passengers from international flights at IAD have a "midfield" inspection station which leads to a connecting passenger-only TSA checkpoint which exits directly into the C/D concourse. This is much more efficient than other US airports where, after you clear customs, you're indistinct from a passenger who just entered the airport locally from an Uber.
There are multiple US international airports including ATL, DTW, and MSP (DL hubs) that have a separate TSA screening site that is just for connecting international passengers.
IAD is an awful airport to connect from international arrivals during the early afternoon bank of arrivals. Wait times of an hour plus for immigrations, then long wait times at TSA = easy to miss your connection.
I liked it in Die Hard.
The main reason why airlines are discouraged from chipping in is that if one chips in and others don't, what return will the one airline get from this investment?
@Justin - huh??
No one is suggesting that one or two airlines “chip in” and no others do… the suggestion is that airlines pay user fees or something similar to fund the improvements.
So that Grandpa Joe can waste the current spending on forgiving student loans?
Grandpa Joe has passed significantly more legislation then Mango Mussolini did. Guess Grandpa Joe actually works instead of sitting on his hind portion eating McDonald's hamburgers and watching fox ???news???.