Traveling is not easier at Newark Liberty International Airport (EWR). As mass delays are in a cascade in a second week, airlines are sacrificed the flexibility of passengers to change flights in much of May.
And it is not clear when the interruptions could end.
Flight problems increased last week after an interruption of critical air traffic control equipment at Filadelphia facilities that governs EWR airspace. Then, following that interruption, the Federal Aviation Administration said that a large number of controllers continued, due to the shortage of existing personnel.
The combined probles have fed mass delays in the airport, particularly for United Airlines, the dominant carrier in Newark, who said on Friday that he would indefinitely eliminate boxes of daily flights from his key center in the New York area.
And with the construction closing a key track, and the spring and summer storms routinely throw a key in the flight schedule very full of the airport, it is likely that the problems affect the pins in the busy summer trip season.
Flight interruption waterfall
Thousands of flights inside and outside EWR have an affected leg by the interruptions that date back to last week. After a messy week that also overturned the travel plans on Saturdays and Sundays, Newark on Monday saw about half of half or all incoming planes face delays, according to FlightTAware data.
A day later, on Tuesday, FAA at one time reported that the average delays at the airport sat about four hours.
Hundreds of additional flights have been canceled during the past week.
United hit the toughest
That includes 35 daily trips from the United round, after CEO Scott Kirby announced Friday that the carrier would reduce his flight at the airport in the hope of preventing customers from in front of even significant interruptions.
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In a letter to customers, Kirby referred to the shortage of long -standing air traffic control personnel, which, as TPG reported in February, have the short -term FAA for thousands of fully certified controllers.
“The challenges of the long -term FAA were wounded this week,” Kirby wrote to recent team failures and pointed out that 20% of the controllers “left work” in recent days.
Air traffic controllers detach after ‘multiple recent interruptions’
In fact, FAA confirmed on Monday that some controllers had work -time tasks to recover from stress “or multiple recent interruptions.”
That included a temporary loss of radar and communications last Monday at the key installation of FAA’s Philadelphia in charge of directing the air traffic flow in EWR, which left controllers “unable to see, listen or talk to” the superior control of the airplanes, the highest control of the nation.
“The controllers did not” go from work, “said the National Association of Air Traffic Controllers in a statement, noting that Insad Tok air traffic drivers go under a policy that protects federal workers.
The Secretary of Transportation, Sean Duffy, has advocated reviewing the nations air traffic control infrastructure and increasing their controller hiring efforts, and this week said the Trump administration would announce new air traffic control reforms on Thursday.
“It’s unacceptable,” Duffy wrote on social networks last week about recent interruptions. “We are working to harden the system. But that is why it is essential that we build a new air traffic control system.”
Newark interruptions persist
Media, thought, what is clear is that Newark delays are not decreasing, particularly, since one of the busiest clues in the airport for exits remains closed for construction until mid -June.
The veteran of the FAA for a long time, Michael McCormick, who spent decades in the control of air traffic in the New York region, had a reedism for travelers: “I would not classify it as insecure,” McCormick, now Embry-Ridry Faculty.
“However,” McCormick warned, “it would be very frustrating for passengers.”
United Tuss Travel Waatvers
Travelers with trips already reserved for, from OA through Newark, have some options to make changes.
United extended a travel warning that allowed passengers with reserved trips until May 17 make changes, including flying out of the nearby Laguardia Airport (LGA), where it operates flights, but with a more limited than in their Newark.
This flexibility extended equally to normally restrictive basic economy tickets.
Jetblue is renouncing cancellation changes and rates for Newark travelers during the month of May. We must bear in mind that the Royal Carrier has its greatest presence in the New York region at the John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK).
Should you reserve flights to or from Newark?
A little beyond this week, travelers will surely question whether they have flights to and from Newark to leave and arrive in time in the coming months.
United certainly has its doubts, a great reason why the carrier decided to reduce his schedule at the airport, without a calendar for a long time the elimination of almost three boxes will last daily flights.
“It is disappointing to make more cuts to a reduced schedule in Newark,” writes Kirby on Friday, “but since there is no way to solve the problems of structural staff of the FAA in the short term, we feel there is no no.
So what should the client do in the midst of those concerns about Newark delays?
Choose a different connection airport
If you are reserving a flight in United and knows that you will have to make a connection somewhere, fat your options. If United offered me a connection in Newark, or an alternative itinerary routed, for example, its Dulles International Airport Center (IAD) near Washington, I would probably opt for the latter, at this time, if the price was comparable.
Proactively: uninterrupted and early flights
Yeah wake up I will fly through Newark at this time, I would plan proactively.
It would reserve the earliest departure of the day, which is much less likely to be affected by the storms. The stormy climate tends to exacerbate the obstacles of air traffic control personnel, since it complicates the exit and arrival schedules.
In fact, for that reason, selecting early flights in the morning is a good general rule through the maximum storm season, even if your alarm sounds at dawn.
Specific for EWR, I would opt for non -scales flights outside the airport during the next week so that, even if they delayed me one or two hours, I would not risk losing a connection flight in another city.
Reserve with a credit card that has travel insurance
The climate control staff and air traffic are in fact “out of the airline control”, which means that its airline would probably be in the hook to pay if it is stranded and trapped in a hotel during the night.
That’s where a credit card that has travel insurance protections can be useful, allowing you to claim a reimbursement for unexpected costs due to a trip interruption.
Just remember: usually, you must reserve your trip with that card to make a successful claim.
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