United Gives Travelers 30,000 Flyer Miles Following Week-Long Disruptions

Following weeklong delays and cancellations, United Airlines Holdings Inc UAL compensates affected passengers with 30,000 frequent flyer miles. 

Last week, storms forced many U.S. airlines to cancel roughly 7,900 flights, and more than 42,000 flights arrived late from last Saturday through Friday.

United Airlines CEO Scott Kirby expressed concerns regarding the frequent gridlock at the airline's Newark, New Jersey hub.

Kirby emphasized that acquiring additional gates is necessary for the airline to make schedule adjustments or reductions to manage the situation effectively, CNBC reports.

United sent the 30,000 miles to customers who were delayed overnight or didn’t reach their destination at all, CNBC quoted a spokeswoman saying.

Kirby said the airline needs more gates at Newark Liberty International Airport because of frequent aircraft backups. "We are going to have to change further/reduce our schedule to give ourselves even more spare gates and buffer — especially during thunderstorm season," CNBC quoted him saying.

Also Read: United CEO Blames FAA As Storms Force More Flight Cancellations

"This has been one of the most operationally challenging weeks I've experienced in my entire career," Kirby added.

Kirby highlighted the impact of extensively delayed departures accumulated at United Airlines' Newark hub since the previous weekend. The operation suffered as takeoffs were delayed by up to 75% for durations exceeding eight hours in certain instances from Sunday through Tuesday.

"Airlines, including United, simply aren't designed to have their largest hub have its capacity severely limited for four straight days and still operate successfully," Kirby wrote.

Kirby issued an apology on Friday after chartering a private jet to fly to Denver while his airline canceled thousands of flights, Reuters reported.   

"Taking a private jet was the wrong decision because it was insensitive to our customers waiting to get home. I sincerely apologize to our customers and team members who have been working around the clock for several days – often through severe weather – to take care of our customers," Kirby said.

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