United Airlines will cut 12% of its domestic flights to Newark to help tame delays

United Airlines It will cut about 50 daily flights from Newark Liberty International Airport next month in an effort to reduce delays that have disrupted travelers’ plans this year.

The discounts are up to about 12% off United’s schedule at their hub in New Jersey and only apply to domestic flights, starting July 1.

United executives said the delays are due to capacity constraints, airport construction and air traffic control — not staff shortages at the airlines.

The US aviation industry has suffered extensively with a High rate of flight cancellations and delays This year compared to 2019. Routine issues such as thunderstorms have resulted in significant delays for passengers, and staff shortages at some airlines have hampered an increase in air travel this year. Airlines also cut flights and destinations, citing a shortage of pilots.

Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg last week Urging airline executives To ensure that the latest series of disturbances does not repeat during the July 4th holiday and the rest of the summer.

“After the last few weeks of irregular operations in Newark, which were caused by many factors including the construction of the airport, we have reached out to the FAA and received a waiver allowing us to adjust our schedule there temporarily for the remainder of the summer,” said John Roitman, United team . The executive vice president and chief operating officer told employees in a Thursday note.

United said it is not currently ending service to any cities, but will reduce the number of flights it operates to certain markets.

“While we have the aircraft, pilots, crews and staff to support our Newark schedule, this exemption will allow us to eliminate about 50 flights per day which will help reduce excessive delays and improve on-time performance – not just for our customers, but for everyone who flies through Newark.”

From the start of the year through mid-June, 31% of flights in Newark were delayed, the second-worst rate in the country after Chicago Midway, according to flight-tracking website FlightAware.

Delta AirlinesAnd the JetBlue AirwaysAnd the Spirit AirlinesAnd the Southwest Airlines And the Alaska Airlines Among the carriers that have also reduced their schedules this year.