United Airlines CEO Scott Kirby has met with the pinnacle 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 within the aftermath of certainly 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 “.”
Photo: EQRoy/Shutterstock
Almost a full week of thunderstorms on the East Coast severely impacted United’s operations within 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 motion to forestall 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 precise balance in departures and arrivals, and striving so as 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 concerning 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 within the Latest York area.
Kirby said,
On June twenty sixth, Kirby wrote to employees regarding the carrier’s operational challenges, claiming “.” The CEO then faced public backlash after catching a personal jet out of Latest York within the midst of the disruption, later claiming it “.”
Understaffing continues
The FAA continues to suffer from a shortage of air traffic controllers greater than three years after the start of the COVID pandemic. The agency has predicted a forty five% increase in flight delays this summer as a consequence of the shortage, which is especially bad on the Latest York Terminal Radar Approach Control (TRACON) facility.
Photo: Paparacy/Shutterstock
Kirby added,
Who do you think that was most answerable for the severe travel disruption seen within the run-up to the July 4th holidays? How can airlines avoid this happening again in the long run? Tell us your thoughts within the comments.