Newark Airport Meltdown: Trapped Passengers Wait 5+ Hours For Gate
Ironically, just days after United Airlines boasted about improved operational reliability at Newark Liberty International Airport, a heavy summer storm has caused a meltdown, with thousands of passengers facing extreme tarmac delays and cancellations.
Newark Meltdown Due To Summer Storm: Passengers Trapped On Planes, Wait Hours For Gate
It was a rough day at Newark yesterday and today is shaping up to be bad as well. Yesterday, 29% of flights from Newark were cancelled (183 flights) and 28% were delayed (179 flights).
This morning, 13% of flights from Newark (82 flights) have already been cancelled and 7% delayed (48 flights).
Zach Griff noted the meltdown yesterday afternoon, and some of the delays are really stunning.
For example, a Chicago-Newark flight sat for over five hours on the ground in Newark before finally reaching a gate:
Griff also notes a flight from Louisville-Newark that sat for over five hours:
Newark was not alone–34% of flights from New York LaGuardia were cancelled yesterday and 25% delayed. But the tarmac delays at Newark were particularly bad. Washington National, Philadelphia, and New York JFK also faced horrific weather-related delays yesterday.
Is It Legal To Keep People Waiting On The Tarmac?
In the USA, while the tarmac delay limit for domestic flights is three hours and four hours for international flights (passengers must be given the option to deboard once those limits have been exceeded), there are three exceptions:
- safety
- security
- air traffic control-related reasons
The “safety” exception is broad (and not preicley defined), but since airport operations shut down during thunderstorms due to safety concerns over lightning, I’d argue that carriers did not run afoul of US law by holding passengers hostage on planes.
Was there a better solution? I’m not certain…not when lightning creates a genuine risk to those outside.
What A Difference A Week Makes
Just four days ago, United Airlines sent out a rather triumphant email to Live And Let’s Fly boasting that “Newark continues to be the most on-time of the New York City area airports since the runway reopened on June 2nd,” and adding:
From July 4 to July 10:
- United flights at Newark had the best on-time arrival performance across airlines at JFK and LaGuardia.
- United flights departing Newark arrived at their destinations on time more often than flights departing JFK and LaGuardia.
- Despite the severe summer weather over the past week, United flights at Newark had the lowest cancellation rate in comparison to JFK and LaGuardia, with a 97.3% completion rate.
What a difference a week makes…
CONCLUSION
Horrific storms have pummeled the Eastern Seaboard and hit the New York City area particularly hard. United in particular has been hit hard at Newark, with passengers facing delays, in some cases, of over five hours to get a gate. Today is shaping up to be bad as well, even as the storms move.
Have you been impacted by the bad weather?