United Airlines Passengers at Newark Liberty International Airport (EWR) were in a frenzied state on Sunday after multiple delays and cancellations left some stuck at the airport into the night with little assistance from customer service.
On Reddit, one traveler attempting to fly from EWR to LAX was initially scheduled for a 4 p.m. departure. After boarding and deplaning a handful of times, they were finally told around 1 a.m. that their flight was canceled.
From that point, the airport experience worsened as the United Airlines representative allegedly left for the night.
“The United representative literally said she was done for the night and left, while a terminal full of stranded passengers were left trying to figure out what to do,” the passenger explained. “It was basically a free-for-all. People running between gates, getting on standby lists, hoping a seat would open up on anything heading west.”
Mechanical issues followed by poor weather on the weekend largely contributed to the chaos at EWR, but still, passengers were unsatisfied with how United handled things.
United Airlines Passengers Complain Of ‘Complete Lack Of Customer Service’ At EWR
While the Reddit passenger remained largely understanding about the slew of changes to their itinerary, it was the customer service that really upset them.
First, they were told that the next flight out in their booking class wouldn’t be for two days. Then, since the final cancellation was due to weather, the passenger says no hotel or food vouchers were available.
“What really got me wasn’t even the cancellations. I understand mechanical issues happen. It was the complete lack of customer service afterward. Every United employee we spoke to seemed dismissive, unwilling to help, or just wanted us to move along. It honestly felt like once the flight was canceled, we were no longer their problem,” the passenger said.
They eventually got on a flight but said when they left there were still plenty of travelers trying to get to LA.
“Is this normal?” the traveler asked. “I’ve flown United a lot, and this was genuinely one of the worst travel experiences of my life. Eighteen hours stuck in an airport with almost no communication, no support, and no sense that anyone at United cared what happened to us.”
TheTravel reached out to United Airlines for comment but did not receive a reply in time for publishing.
In addition to this United passengers’ poor experience, hundreds of others also faced delays and cancellations at EWR on August 2.
EWR Sees Hundreds Of Halted Trips Sunday
On Sunday, August 2, when the incident occurred, EWR was navigating hundreds of delays and a rising number of cancellations, with United leading the way in both categories. Here’s a look at the data from FlightAware:
Delays And Cancellations At EWR Sunday
| Total delays at EWR | 458 |
| Total cancellations at EWR | 75 |
| United Airlines delays at EWR | 251 |
| United Airlines cancellations at EWR | 26 |
The airline with the next-highest number of disruptions was the regional carrier Republic Airways, which had 76 delayed and 20 canceled flights out of EWR.
These travel interruptions can be traced back to the poor weather conditions in Newark on Sunday, as severe thunderstorms and heavy rain forced the FAA to temporarily suspend service at seven different airports, including EWR.
Bad Weather Affects Major Hubs Around The U.S. As Flight Disruptions Stack Up
Weather-related disruptions seem commonplace lately. For example, last week Newark, JFK, and LaGuardia faced hours-long delays after local storms caused a morning ground stop.
Earlier this morning, severe weather in the Northeast continued to cause trouble as the FAA halted hundreds of flights due to flood and thunderstorm warnings.
The storms aren’t exclusive to the Northeast, either. Last night, Denver International Airport delayed nearly 30 trips after record-high temperatures clashed with a cold front, causing high winds and unstable atmospheric conditions.
For frequent flyers, this onslaught of ground stops, delays, and cancellations is starting to feel higher than normal.
“I take about 25 flights per year, and until this spring I might have had an hour or two delay here or there, but pretty much every round-trip flight now has at least either one leg straight up canceled or one leg severely delayed (4+ hours),” one passenger shared on Reddit. “Did the quality go down? Is it just the season? It’s been so bad lately, and I’m flying between major cities every time. I just don’t understand why it’s been hell lately every time I travel.”
Summer is typically the worst season for air travel, as higher passenger volume, severe storms, and extreme heat can cause major interruptions.
Whether flying out of EWR or not, booking early flights between 6 a.m. and 8 a.m. can help combat potential changes to your itinerary, as these early trips are far more likely to arrive on time, before afternoon storms hit.
