Newark ATC issues fuel mass delays, United pulls 35 daily trips from schedule

It’s been a nightmarish week for travelers at Newark Liberty International Airport (EWR). A combination of air traffic control equipment failures and staffing shortages have fueled mass flight delays, and led the airport’s biggest airline to cancel dozens of daily flights over the coming weeks.

The problems could continue to plague passengers as the busy summer travel season draws closer.

Air traffic control concerns re-surface

Thousands of flights in and out of EWR have been impacted by the disruptions in recent days. Close to half of all inbound planes to Newark faced delays on Saturday alone, according to data from FlightAware.

Those disruptions came as the FAA reported staffing shortages at the air traffic control facility that governs Newark’s airspace — and on the heels of a week that saw a myriad of technology outages at the agency.

Thunderstorms made matters worse this weekend, as did construction to the airport’s busiest runway for departures, which will be closed until the middle of June.

Another 57 flights at Newark were canceled by late afternoon on Sunday, according to Flight Aware.

United sends letter to customers

Amid the mounting problems, United Airlines CEO Scott Kirby penned a letter to customers on Friday, announcing the carrier — which has a major hub at EWR —  would cancel 35 daily round trips from the airport in hopes of avoiding further cascading problems.

In his letter Friday, Kirby referenced longstanding air traffic control staffing shortages which, TPG reported in February, have the FAA short-staffed by thousands of fully-certified controllers.

“The long-simmering FAA challenges boiled over this week,” Kirby wrote, citing recent equipment failures, and noting that 20% of controllers “walked off the job” in recent days.

Neither the FAA nor the nation’s top air traffic controllers union — contacted by TPG for comment Sunday — elaborated on that characterization by Kirby.

Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy has advocated for overhauling the nation’s air traffic control infrastructure and upping its controller hiring efforts.

“It’s unacceptable,” Duffy wrote on social media Friday about the recent disruptions. “We are working to harden the system. But this is why it’s critical that we build an all-new air traffic control system.

Visited the Philadelphia TRACON today to talk with our hard working air traffic controllers as we work to fix these equipment outages caused by outdated technology. It’s unacceptable. We are working to harden the system. But this is why it’s critical that we build an all-new air… https://t.co/IQth5dF1Bz

— Secretary Sean Duffy (@SecDuffy) May 2, 2025

Newark disruptions persist

In the meantime, though, what is clear is that the delays at Newark aren’t subsiding.

Beyond United’s planned schedule reductions, the airport saw more than 600 departures face delays since Friday, after mass disruptions over the course of several days last week, per FlightAware..

Sunday didn’t look much better, with the FAA projecting maximum delays of more than four hours, as of 2 p.m. EDT — and average delays topping two hours, owed to staffing shortages, the agency reported.

“I would not categorize it as unsafe,” Michael McCormick, a 30-year veteran of the FAA, told TPG Sunday.

“However, it would be very frustrating for passengers with maximum arrival delays exceeding four hours into Newark,” McCormick, now on the faculty at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, added.

United issues travel waivers

United issued a travel advisory that allowed passengers with trips booked through Monday to make free changes — even on ordinarily restrictive basic economy tickets — for flights through both Newark and the region’s other major airports.

Travelers flying through the airport in the coming weeks should keep an eye out for similar advisories that could allow extra flexibility to re-route or re-book during periods of peak trouble.

Storms wreak havoc elsewhere this weekend

Adding to an already messy weekend for travel, stormy conditions across a large swath of the country fueled nearly 6,000 flight delays Saturday, after 8,200-plus flights were delayed Friday, per FlightAware.

Houston’s George Bush Intercontinental Airport (IAH), Charlotte Douglas International Airport (CLT) and Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport (ATL) were among the busy hubs hardest hit.

Should you book flights to or from Newark?

Beyond this weekend, travelers will surely question whether they can count on flights to and from Newark to depart and arrive on time over the coming months.

United certainly has its doubts — a big reason why the carrier decided to reduce its schedule at the airport, with no timetable on how long the removal of nearly three-dozen daily flights will last.

“It’s disappointing to make further cuts to an already reduced schedule at Newark,” Kirby wrote Friday. “But since there is no way to resolve the near-term structural FAA staffing issues, we feel like there is no other choice in order to protect our customers.”

So, what should customers do, amid those concerns about delays at Newark?

Pick a different connecting airport

If you’re booking a flight on United and know you’ll have to make a connection somewhere, vet your options. If United was offering me a connection at Newark — or an alternative itinerary routed through its Dulles International Airport (IAD) hub near Washington — I’d probably opt for the latter, at the moment, if the price was comparable.

Plan proactively: nonstop and early flights

If I were going to fly through Newark right now, I’d plan proactively.

I’d book the earliest departure of the day, which is far less likely to be affected by thunderstorms. Stormy weather tends to exacerbate air traffic control staffing hurdles, since it complicates the departure and arrivals schedules.

In fact, for that reason, selecting early-morning flights are a good rule of thumb throughout the peak thunderstorm season — even if it does mean your alarm goes off at the crack of dawn.

Specific to EWR, I’d opt for nonstop flights out of the airport over the coming weeks so that, even if I got delayed by an hour or two, I wouldn’t risk missing a connecting flight in another city.

Book with a credit card that has travel insurance

Weather and air traffic control staffing are both factors typically deemed “outside the airline’s control,” which means your airline likely wouldn’t be on the hook to pay if you get stranded and stuck in a hotel overnight.

That’s where a credit card that has travel insurance protections can come in handy, by allowing you to claim reimbursement for unexpected costs due to a travel disruption.

Just remember: Typically you have to book your trip with that card in order to make a successful claim.

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