July 1 (UPI) — United Airlines will need access to more departure gates to keep flights on schedule after severe weather disruptions left thousands of passengers without flights ahead of the Fourth of July holiday, according to United Airlines CEO Scott Kirby.
More than 42,000 flights were delayed and more than 7,900 were canceled by airlines across the country over the past week, according to the flight tracker FlightAware.
United Airlines canceled more than 3,000 flights as severe weather impacted arrivals at key airports in the New York area, leaving thousands of passengers without flights.
“This has been one of the most operationally challenging weeks I’ve experienced in my entire career,” Kirby told staff in a note obtained by CNBC.
“We are going to have to further change/reduce our schedule to give ourselves even more spare gates and buffer – especially during thunderstorm season,” Kirby said.
“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.”
On Tuesday, the Federal Aviation Administration temporarily grounded a number of flights in the New York area.
“Thunderstorms in the New York area are blocking arrival and departure routes for La Guardia Airport, JFK International Airport and Newark Liberty International Airport,” the FAA said in a statement Tuesday.
Kirby initially blamed the FAA and said the agency “failed us this weekend,” in a memo seen by CNN.
The company gave 30,000 frequent flyer miles to travelers who have been severely impacted by the delays.
On Friday, Kirby apologized for flying out of Teterboro Airport in New Jersey to Denver aboard a private jet while passengers were stuck at the airport. United Airlines says they did not pay for his flight.
“Talking a private jet was the wrong decision because it was insensitive to our customers who were waiting to get home,” Kirby said in a statement after reports of his private flight from Teterboro emerged.
“I sincerely apologize to our customers and our team members who have been working around the clock for several days — often through severe weather — to take care of our customers.”
Kirby called on the FAA to do more to improve air traffic control.
The number of canceled and delayed United Airlines flights dropped significantly Saturday.
As of 5 p.m. EDT Saturday, 56 United flights were canceled and 523 were delayed, down from 252 cancellations and 1326 delays Friday.