![]() When Denver had that reduction in arrival rates, that doesn't just impact those flights. We are working hard to get the right amount of resources and a bipartisan FAA reauthorization bill to address that issue. They simply don't have the Congressional authorization. That is by far the biggest issue, and the most addressable.īy the way, it's not the FAA's fault – this is a 20- to 30-year-old issue. Here in Denver, the last two days we woke up to a 30% reduction in the arrival rate for aircraft at the airport because of staffing shortages on clear, blue sky days. We have fewer air traffic controllers today than we had 30 years ago. The secretary of transportation acknowledged that they're short 3,000 controllers. The biggest issue for us and for the industry is air traffic control staffing shortages. But for the most part, if a storm hits Denver and closes the airport for a few hours, we've gotten pretty good at isolating it to just that day and that airport. It's not always possible – especially if there's weather rolling across the entire country, that's where it gets really challenging. What we attempt to do is really isolate the problem to the day and the location where the weather is, and not have it bleed over into the rest of the system. When weather happens, there's nothing you can do. On how United Airlines is trying to contain weather-related delays This interview has been edited for length and clarity. ![]() United Airlines CEO Scott Kirby spoke to Morning Edition host Michel Martin from the Denver Airport. Perhaps the greatest was the Southwest Airlines meltdown over the winter holidays, when the carrier canceled more than 15,000 U.S. Meanwhile, the airline industry has had multiple disruptions recently. Close to 3.5 million travelers are expected to fly this weekend, according to AAA - a more than five percent increase over 2019. This coming Memorial Day weekend could be the busiest in years for air travel. Listen United Airlines CEO Scott Kirby speaks during a joint press event with Boeing at the Boeing manufacturing facility in North Charleston, S.C., on Dec. ![]()
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