Newark was the most on-time airport in the NYC area in June. That’s right. In June, EWR had more on-time flights than LGA and JFK.
United’s collaboration across many internal and external entities on meaningful change has proven effective and expedited the path to reliability. The underlying issues at Newark, including construction on the airport’s busiest runway, airport-wide overscheduling of flights at peak hours, and an Air Traffic Control staffing shortage, have all been addressed.
- Runway construction is complete – Newark’s busiest runway for departing flights closed for renovations mid-April, leaving only two other runways in operation at the airport. The airport’s construction project is now complete. That means all runways at Newark are open, and this has already led to even better on-time performance for United.
- FAA-supported schedule reductions –The closure of the runway compounded the problem at Newark, with its hourly demand often exceeding the ability to absorb operations without delay. United cancelled 35 roundtrip flights (primarily focused on high-frequency markets) and firmed their schedule into the fall so customers can plan their travel with confidence.
- Safe, accelerated ATC onboarding – The TRACON facility responsible for overseeing the Newark area was staffed at 58%, significantly reducing the number of arrivals and departures per hour at EWR. This facility currently has 22 trainees, and many of these have previous experience at higher level facilities and are expected to certify in less time than usual.
These changes are here to stay, and the data shows that they’re working. More changes are ongoing and in development to ensure no operational backslide towards decreased reliability. In conjunction with the U.S. FAA and DOT, an agreement has been reached among all airlines operating at Newark to broadly reduce flights and bring the airport back within its operational limits. In total, Newark will see capacity reduced to 68 operations per hour from today’s cap of 77 per hour (keeping in mind historical capacity frequently exceeded that 77 per hour cap). It’s a new Newark, and your travelers can now see firsthand how these changes are creating a better way to fly.
