United Airlines is offering a sigh of relief for travelers stranded during the recent spell of cancellations and delays at Newark Liberty International Airport. The airline, in a statement made on Tuesday, announced that those customers affected by the recent flight disruptions will be allowed to reschedule their trips without paying for change fees or fare adjustments under certain conditions.
“You can reschedule your trip, and we’ll waive change fees and fare differences,” the airline confirmed on its website. However, passengers must rebook on a United flight departing between April 30, 2025, and May 12, 2025. The new flight must be between the same cities and in the same cabin as originally booked.
Newark travel turmoil
United Airlines, a major carrier at Newark, has been especially hard hit by disruptions in operations due to technology breakdowns and manpower shortages at the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). The disruptions caused a domino effect of cancellations and delays, infuriating thousands of travelers. Over 500 flights were delayed, and more than 200 were canceled at the airport on Thursday alone.
In a letter unveiled Friday, United CEO Scott Kirby acknowledged the growing frustration. “There have been dozens of canceled flights that took detours, hundreds of delays and cancellations of flights, and, worst of all, thousands of customers whose travel plans were broken,” he said.
Newark issues have been recurrent, and Kirby has lamented that unless root problems at the FAA are rectified, they will continue to be the case. “It’s aggravating to cut more from the already reduced Newark schedule, but as there is no way to address the proximate FAA structural staffing dilemma, we believe that there’s nothing else that we can do to protect our customers,” he noted.
Political pressure for solutions
The issue has also attracted federal lawmakers into the mix. U.S. Rep. Andy Kim, D-New Jersey, confirmed that his office reached out to the FAA to get solutions and answers.
“Our team has reached out to the FAA to get some questions answered on what they’re doing to solve this problem,” Kim told FOX Business. “Your family members deserve to know that, when you travel by plane, you’ll be safe and you’ll be there on time. We’ll keep pushing to make it happen.”
Looking ahead
With the travel industry going into a high season, United’s waiver of fees is a welcome relief to travelers rushing to rebook their trips. While the underlying causes that resulted in the disruption of travel remain unsolved, passengers have more leeway to reschedule without paying extra fees.
The carrier has not indicated whether the waiver will be extended if disruptions persist past May 12. As of now, affected passengers are encouraged to act fast and rebook flights within the timeframe.
