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United Slashes Flights Amid Newark Airport Chaos: FAA Staffing Crisis to Blame

Newark Liberty International Airport (EWR) has long been a challenging hub, but recent events have pushed it into a full-blown crisis. United Airlines, which is the airport's primary carrier, has slashed 35 daily round-trip flights, about 10% of its schedule. United cited insurmountable issues with the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and a crumbling air traffic control system.

For the first time in years it seems an airline is pushing back against the shortcomings of one of its hubs.

In this post:

FAA Failures: The Heart of the Chaos

At the heart of this disaster is the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), which simply can't keep up. The FAA is short roughly 3,000 air traffic controllers nationwide. Instead of triaging the issue with urgency, they have been dragging it along for years.

So, when 24 controllers were moved from a facility on Long Island to Philadelphia in mid-2024, Newark logged 800 delays in under two weeks. You can’t make this up.


And if the staffing crisis wasn’t enough, the FAA's systems, think 1990s tech running a 2025 airspace, are crumbling. Radar and comms failures have become disturbingly common.

Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy is now promising to throw 2,000 new air traffic controllers and $10,000 “hard-to-staff” bonuses at the problem in 2025. That’s nice. However, the DOT’s own report from 2023 already said the FAA “lacks a plan” to fix this.

Bad Infrastructure, Bad Weather

Even if the FAA had enough controllers, Newark’s physical infrastructure can’t handle the load. The agency recently lowered the airport’s movement cap from 88 to 77 operations per hour, a quiet admission that Newark is stretched past its limit.

United has been pushing to reclassify Newark as a Level 3 slot-controlled airport, but the FAA hasn’t budged.

The weather isn't helping either.

Nearly 63% of delays over the past decade stem from weather, tops among major U.S. airports. But this isn’t new, and it doesn’t explain why things are worse now.

United Airlines: Forced to Act


United, which operates around 300 daily round-trips from Newark, has been left with little choice but to cut back. United isn’t just cutting flights, they’re calling out the FAA directly. CEO Scott Kirby cited the inability of the airport to manage the current volume of flights as a primary reason for the decision. Kirby, acting like the boss of the US aviation industry like usual, also criticized other airlines, such as JetBlue and Spirit, for overscheduling flights and contributing to congestion.

Kirby’s move to pull 10% of Newark flights is less about saving face and more about saving operations. Fewer flights mean fewer delays, for now.

The Bigger Picture: A National Concern

Newark's struggles are symptomatic of broader issues within the U.S. aviation system. The combination of staffing shortages,outdated technology
outdated technology, and inadequate infrastructure is not unique to Newark.

What’s happening here could, and likely will, happen at other major hubs. Atlanta, Chicago, JFK, they’re all one staffing glitch or radar breakdown away from similar chaos. The FAA’s current trajectory is unsustainable, marked by years of neglect and mismanagement.

Bottom Line

Newark’s decline is no surprise, it’s the result of FAA inaction and systemic rot. Until Washington gets serious about fixing the foundation of U.S. air travel—not just tossing out hiring bonuses and hoping for the best—travelers can expect more delays, more cancellations, and more excuses.

United pulled the plug on 35 flights. The FAA needs to plug the leak.

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