NEWARK, New Jersey — Travelers at Newark Liberty International Airport are facing ongoing difficulties, as flight disruptions continued into the new workweek.
Both Newark and LaGuardia airports experienced temporary ground stops due to weather conditions on Monday morning. Although these restrictions were lifted just before 9 a.m., resulting delays lasted four hours.
Multiple factors have caused a series of delays and cancellations for nearly a week. Notably, United Airlines announced plans to cancel 35 daily round-trip flights, a decision they call necessary to prioritize their customers’ needs. The airline also noted that over 20% of FAA controllers in Newark had gone on strike.
Without them, Newark cannot handle the number of planes scheduled to operate there in the weeks and months ahead.
In addition to staffing limitations, officials say air traffic control equipment outages have contributed to the problems at Newark Airport over the last week.
Runway construction is another problem that has left this airport with just one.
In the meantime, mounting delays and cancellations meant missed connections for some travelers.
“Three hours for us, but I don’t know, they need a pay raise, whatever. I think they should get what they’re asking for,” one traveler said.
Cameron Olivier, a traveler to Canada, said: “We kind of came in having no idea it was happening, but it looks like everyone’s getting hit by it. “
With the summer travel season just weeks away, the Department of Transportation has been trying to find solutions, including rolling out a plan to hire more air traffic controllers and delay retirement.
Officials are expected to announce another plan this week to modernize air traffic control technology.
Newark Airport has put out a travel advisory, urging passengers to check their flight status before heading to the airport.
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