The Fourth of July holiday is one of the busiest periods in American aviation, as families and friends take advantage of the time off to go on trips and make memories. Undoubtedly, those traveling during this period look to create positive memories, not have their travel plans blown up in their faces. Many often forget that passengers are not the only ones who suffer when disruptions hit the aviation industry. The faces that greet us upon boarding an aircraft, help us load bags in overhead bins, and those in cockpits at the controls face so much that we, as passengers, do not see.Since last Saturday, more than 50,000 flights have been interrupted in the United States, not only displacing passengers but also crews. According to United Airlines CEO Scott Kirby, it all began with the Federal Aviation Administration’s (FAA) decision to reduce the number of flights allowed in the New York Area last weekend. But those words have quickly backfired on Kirby, as it is evident that something went wrong internally at United, leading to hundreds of thousands of passengers and thousands of crew members having their lives significantly interrupted.Last year, a former flight attendant created a petition called “Pay Me For Boarding” in order to unify the voices of flight attendants nationwide in their cry for fair compensation. Throughout the week, several crew members’ stories have been shared on the Instagram page, exposing problems with airlines’ management and crew scheduling systems. Simple Flying asked to connect with those willing to share their stories; what we heard is alarming.
Stranded overnight
A United Airlines flight attendant, who will remain anonymous, shared with Simple Flying that their crew got stuck overnight with no hotel provided by their employer. What began as a maintenance delay turned into a snowball effect of chaos. After the initial delay, the crew were told they would depart on an aircraft inbound from another United base several hours after their original departure. At this point, the crew had heard of the meltdown unfolding in United’s operations and decided to stay on the aircraft and attempt to reach different departments of the airline, which would provide support.
Two key departments in a scenario like this are crew scheduling and the team that handles hotel reservations for the crew. The crew scheduled to operate this severely delayed flight attempted to divide and conquer to speak with anyone who could help manage the problem, should it worsen. The crew could not get ahold of anyone after waiting on hold for hours and later found out there were no pilots to fly the aircraft they were supposed to depart on into the airport where they were stuck waiting.
In the middle of the night, their flight was finally canceled. At that point, airport restaurants were closed, and the crew had nowhere to stay the night, something the airline should have taken care of. They called several hotels in the area, and only one had room to accommodate them, which was a less-than-desirable place to go. As one might imagine, the crew being displaced affected not only one flight but several. The delay and cancelation of the flight mentioned above meant the crew was not available for a flight from a United hub, but the airport’s operations teams were unaware of this. Somewhere the system broke, the crew was in one place while they were supposed to be on their way to another, and no one knew.
It is safe to say that what plagued Southwest Airlines at the end of last year also plagued United right before the Fourth of July. The Dallas-based low-cost carrier was severely criticized for utilizing outdated technology. Scott Kirby even criticized Southwest, indirectly highlighting United’s strong performance in Denver to start 2023. While there is no proof that United is using outdated technology, the airline is undoubtedly facing problems with crew scheduling.
We contacted United Airlines for a statement and have not received a reply at the time of publication.
Stuck at base for three days
Another United crew member shared their experience of being stuck at a United hub for three days. The crew member said,
“Let me just say that this wasn’t weather related; we’ve had bad weather all year long and we know how to handle it. This was at least 90% scheduling.” Again, this completely contradicts what United’s CEO has said, but it comes from someone in the thick of it. This crew member was due to work a flight that was canceled, and it took six hours for crew scheduling to update their schedule.
The next day, a crew boarded a flight early in the morning, the beginning of a day that became an absolute nightmare. From that moment, it took three hours to get a First Officer on the aircraft, and even after that happened, things continued to spiral. After pushing back from the gate, a storm rolled in, forcing the pilots to seek another flight path while taxiing for two hours. At that point, the First Officer went “illegal,” passing the maximum time allowed to work, and the plane returned to the gate.
At the gate, everyone deplaned, and four hours went by without any updates when, finally, the crew found out the flight had been canceled, but inflight operations had not notified them. The flight attendants deplaned twelve and a half hours after boarding the aircraft.
In speaking to their supervisors to see what needed to be done, the flight attendants were told to wait another hour before going illegal. Once released, the crew members were told to call hotel operations and scheduling, but wait times were ridiculous. One crew member went to a hotel at their own expense while the rest of the flight attendants spent the night in the crew room. At 01:00, the crew member received a call, and their schedule was updated.
In a photo shared with Simple Flying, another United Airlines crew member recounts being on duty for 22 hours straight without being provided with a hotel or schedule modification. They attempted to notify their supervisor and crew scheduling of their whereabouts for more than ten hours without success.
Scott Kirby flies on private jet to get out of Newark
Earlier this week, reports surfaced that United’s CEO, Scott Kirby, had flown on a private jet out of Teterboro amid the airline’s meltdown. Yesterday, it was confirmed, and Scott issued an apology, saying,
"Taking a private jet was the wrong decision because it was insensitive to our customers who were waiting to get home. 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 has faced severe criticism from United employees, calling him out for not being on the frontlines with the staff working hard, and for paying those staff small salaries while pocketing millions himself.
United is not the only one
Other American carriers have faced disruptions over the last week, but nothing near what United has faced. A crew member at one of United’s major competitors stated that none of the flights they operated were on time over the last week. However, they highlighted that their airline’s operations continued and did not break down.
Earlier this week, an American Airlines passenger had an aircraft all to himself following an 18-hour delay, and every other passenger gave up on the flight.
If you are flying this weekend, make sure to thank every airline employee you encounter for their hard work. Make them feel valued. Small gifts can go a long way for them and make their days.