Over 5,500 flights into, out of, or within the United States have been delayed or canceled due to severe weather in the Northeast region.
“Several consecutive days of severe weather and lingering thunderstorms in the Northeast, combined with FAA [Federal Aviation Administration] staffing constraints over the weekend, have resulted in a tough operating environment, especially for our customers flying in and out of the New York area,” a spokesperson for United Airlines said.
Showers and thunderstorms are expected to continue in the area at least until Friday. The situation was further compounded by a technical error that caused some Washington D.C. area airports to pause operations.
According to the Flight Aware tracker, 4,644 flights in the United States have been delayed on Wednesday as of 5:00 pm EST and an additional 913 flights have been canceled.
The FAA reduced arrival rates at Newark Liberty International Airport in New Jersey by 40% and arrivals by 75% on Wednesday.
United Airlines CEO Scott Kirby explained to US media that that shows the blame should be placed on the FAA and not the airlines themselves.
“This is almost certainly a reflection of understaffing/lower experience at the FAA. It led to massive delays, cancellations, diversions, as well as crews and aircraft out of position,” Kirby complained. “And that put everyone behind the eight-ball when weather did hit on Sunday and was further compounded by FAA staffing shortages Sunday evening.”
Kirby said he plans to discuss the situation with the FAA and the Department of Transportation. The FAA told US media it is always willing to “collaborate with anyone seriously willing to join us to solve a problem.