United CEO apologizes for using private flights during flight cancellations.
United Airlines CEO Apologizes for Flying Private During Flight Cancellations
United Airlines CEO Scott Kirby issued a heartfelt apology on Friday after it was revealed that he had flown on a private jet while his airline was forced to cancel hundreds of flights. The incident occurred on Wednesday when Kirby chartered a flight from Teterboro, New Jersey, to Denver, Colorado. Unfortunately, that same day, United had to cancel a staggering 751 flights, which accounted for over a quarter of its scheduled flights.
“Taking a private jet was the wrong decision because it was insensitive to our customers who were waiting to get home,” Kirby expressed in a statement. “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.”
The impact of the flight cancellations was felt across multiple airports. Newark Liberty International Airport in New Jersey experienced over 100 cancellations into the airport and more than 120 cancellations out of the airport on Wednesday alone. Similarly, Denver International Airport had over 90 canceled flights into the airport and more than 70 canceled flights out of the airport on the same day.
Throughout the week, there were significant delays and cancellations affecting thousands of flights within, into, or out of the United States. According to data from FlightAware, each day between Tuesday and Wednesday saw over 7,000 delayed flights, with Thursday experiencing at least 8,000 delays. On Tuesday, approximately 2,000 flights were canceled, but that number has been gradually decreasing since then. In total, United Airlines had to cancel 3,000 flights this week.
Despite the challenges faced, United Airlines acknowledged the improvements made in their operations. In a tweet, they stated, “There has been meaningful improvement across our operation after a challenging week that started with bad weather on the East Coast that caused a major ripple effect throughout our system.” However, the airline still anticipated further delays and cancellations on Friday and advised customers to use their app for re-booking options.
Record-Breaking Travel Expectations
As the holiday season approaches, the American Automobile Association predicts that approximately 50.7 million people will be traveling at least 50 miles from their homes. This marks a 3.7% increase from the previous record of 49 million travelers in 2019.
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