Newark Airport flight delays, cancellations among worst as July Fourth travel opens
After an evening of widespread delays and cancellations at Newark Liberty International Airporton Friday, travel eased a bit on Saturday.
As of midafternoon on Saturday, 7% of outgoing flights from the airport were canceled and another 9% delayed, according to flight-tracking website FlightAware. The 40 cancelled flights at Newark were the worst among U.S. airports, though disruptions were a problem across the nation as the July Fourth weekend got underway.
On Friday, two-thirds of flights into and out of New York City airports were either delayed or canceled around 8 p.m., according to FlightAware's "Misery Map." Newark had 88 delays and 20 cancellations at that point, second only to New York's LaGuardia for flight problems.
Air travel has been chaotic this year as the number of travelers rebounded to pre-pandemic levels even as airlines face staffing shortages and increased fuel costs. Across the globe, FlightAware recorded more than 33,000 cancellations or delays on Friday and more than 19,000 Saturday.
Beginning on Friday, United Airlines, the main carrier at Newark, trimmed 50 domestic flights from its schedule at the airport. The cuts, representing about 12% of United's local flights, were an effort to improve on-time schedules after staffing shortages caused a chaotic Juneteenth weekend that saw thousands of flights canceled worldwide.
Canceling the flights "improves our on-time performances," United communications manager David Gonzalez said last month. "This is our attempt to help our operation adjust to the challenges at Newark."
Friday into Saturday, United's Twitter feed was full of complaints from disgruntled passengers across the country. "Our systems are experiencing high volumes," the airline tweeted to one passenger.
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Executives at United and the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, which operates Newark Airport, were not available for comment on Saturday. But on Friday, both organizations tweeted that they were experiencing high volumes.
The Newark Airport Twitter feed also cited weather delays, and the Port Authority urged travelers to pre-book parking at its New York City airports. "With a major rise in travelers flying during the summer season and more of those customers driving private vehicles to the airport, demand for airport parking has increased significantly, putting immense pressure on the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey’s on-airport parking facilities," the agency said in a statement.
Those whose flights are canceled and don't rebook are entitled to a full refund--though it may involve being on hold for a while.
Julia Martin is the 2021 recipient of the New Jersey Society for Professional Journalists' David Carr award for her coverage of Montclair for NorthJersey.com.
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Email: jmartin@gannettnj.com
Twitter: @TheWriteJulia
This article originally appeared on NorthJersey.com: Newark Airport flight delays pile up as July Fourth 2022 travel opens
