Travelers flying to, from or through Newark Liberty International Airport (EWR) have faced days of delays and cancellations due to air traffic control staffing issues and equipment failures.
Scott Kirby, CEO of United Airlines, which has a major hub at the airport, warned the problem doesn't seem like it's going to be resolved any time soon.
"There is no way to resolve the near-term structural FAA staffing issues," he said in a letter to customers released Friday evening.
According to flight-tracking website FlightAware, Monday is starting off with Newark atop the list for delays and cancellations in the U.S., with 42 flights or 8% of departures canceled before 9:45 a.m. ET.
While that's not as bad as some days last week, it's not a great sign for travelers ahead of the summer rush.
Air Traffic Control staffing has been an issue in the U.S. for years. In a press conference last Thursday, Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy acknowledged that nationwide, the Federal Aviation Administration is short about 3,000 air traffic controllers. He said the DOT is working to boost hiring through a variety of initiatives, and to incentivize current controllers to avoid early retirement.
Still, Duffy acknowledged, the issue can't be resolved overnight.
"We're hoping in three to four years we can get to full staffing, not 20 years," he said. "How do you make up the gap? We can't snap our fingers to make up the numbers."
The problem has been particularly acute in New York City's airspace, and the FAA has required airlines to reduce the number of flights to the metro. Beyond the capacity caps, there haven't been other significant issues telegraphed at the city's other two major airports so far this spring.
The agency also tried to address the issue partly by relocating some Newark controllers from a facility in New York to one in Philadelphia last year, but that came with its own array of issues, including ongoing equipment problems.
"These challenges are not new to Newark. United has been urging the US government for *years* to use its authority to effectively limit the number of flights to what the airport can realistically handle," Kirby said in his letter. "Past failure to make those changes had led to the circumstances that United and, most importantly, our customers now face."
Other major airports in New York - JFK and LaGuardia, are both slot controlled. United said it is voluntarily reducing its schedule at Newark, canceling 35 round-trip flights per day, to try to hedge against further disruptions.
Staffing issues aside, outdated equipment has also led to issues for passengers and air traffic controllers.
"In the past few days, on more than one occasion, technology that FAA air traffic controllers rely on to manage the airplanes coming in and out of Newark airport failed - resulting in dozens of diverted flights, hundreds of delayed and canceled flights and worst of all, thousands of customers with disrupted travel plans," Kirby's letter said. "Unfortunately, the technology issues were compounded as over 20% of the FAA controllers for EWR walked off the job."
Industry advocates warned that these kind of equipment failures, which were already relatively common, would become more frequent amid DOGE cuts at the FAA. While the layoffs did not impact air traffic control tower personnel directly, and many of the probationary employees who were terminated were ultimately re-hired, the affected positions included maintenance personnel responsible for equipment upkeep, according to union representatives.
Duffy said during the press conference last week that the FAA and DOT are planning a major announcement about new air traffic control equipment this week.
If you're flying through Newark in the coming weeks and months, it's a good idea to prepare yourself for possible disruptions. Be patient with airport and airline employees if something goes wrong.
But also, try to book flights earlier in the day, which are less likely to be disrupted or canceled. Delays and cancellations often build up as the day goes on. If your flight does get delayed or canceled, it's a good idea to look for alternative flights for rebooking yourself, and to work with the airline to get rerouted.
Unfortunately, air traffic control and weather-related delays aren't often considered issues that are in the airline's control, so you may not be eligible for compensation if your flight is canceled or delayed, but ask your carrier's customer service team what your options are if you find yourself stuck.
Zach Wichter is a travel reporter and writes the Cruising Altitude column for USA TODAY. He is based in New York and you can reach him at zwichter@usatoday.com.