The past week for United Airlines has been challenging as it encountered a series of flight delays and cancelations throughout the entire last week in the Northeast region ahead of the busy Fourth of July week. To mitigate the situation, the carrier offered 30,000 frequent flyer miles to customers who were most affected by the chaos, according to a report by CNBC.
On average, each United MileagePlus mile is worth 1.2 cents, although the actual worth may vary depending on how you decide to redeem your miles. With United’s MileagePlus points, travelers can access various benefits, including seat upgrades, priority check-in, complimentary checked baggage, better award-seat availability, and discounted fees, among other benefits.
Over the past week, multiple airports on the east coast of the United States and Canada have been severely affected by intense storms and weather conditions, resulting in extensive flight delays and cancelations.
Among the impacted airports, Newark Liberty International Airport (EWR) stands out as an important hub for United Airlines. Therefore, the airline was significantly affected, with more than 40% of its flights suffering delays.
After a week of flight disruptions, the carrier’s chief executive, Scott Kirby, has published a letter he shared with his staff at United, explaining why things went wrong, and how such an event can be avoided in the future.
In his letter, Kirby discussed five areas that, if addressed more effectively, could help minimize disruptions in the face of similar scenarios in the future. These five points encompass enhancements to crew technology, stronger collaboration with the FAA, improved balance between departures and arrivals, and increased availability of gates.
Kirby not flying his airline
Friday saw numerous media outlets reporting on Kirby’s use of a private jet for travel between two major cities that house United Airlines’ largest hubs: New York and Denver.
In the wake of flight disruptions and many cancelations, Kirby could not secure a seat out of the New York area and opted to travel via a private jet on Wednesday, departing from Teterboro Airport (TEB) in New Jersey and heading to Denver, Colorado.
Due to his decision, Kirby has faced criticism, prompting him to issue an apology. In a statement provided to CNBC, Kirby said:
“Taking a private jet was the wrong decision because it was insensitive to our customers who were waiting to get home. I sincerely apologize to our customers and our team members who have been working around the clock for several days — often through severe weather — to take care of our customers.”
Busy travel period
The Fourth of July holiday is renowned as one of the busiest periods for air travel in the United States.
The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) anticipates screening approximately 17.7 million passengers between June 29 and July 5, 2023. Friday was projected to be the peak day, with over 2.8 million people expected to be screened.