United Airlines was slammed for its ‘criminally bad’ customer service as desperate families were forced to sleep in airports after thousands of flights were delayed or canceled over the Fourth of July holiday.
Nearly 100 flights have already been canceled on Monday alone while delays were at 1,303 by lunchtime and steadily climbing, according to FlightAware.
The Fourth of July flightmare continued today as travelers made one last ditch effort to get to their destinations for holiday on Tuesday after storms walloped the country in recent days, causing mass delays and cancelations.
United Airlines was especially hit hard by cancelations, which left passengers stranded in airports and standing in long lines to rebook their flights, with some saying they were forced to wait several days for their checked bags.
Many took to Twitter to criticize United for its handling of the fiasco despite the company offering furious passengers 30,000 air miles.
Thousands of travelers are making one last ditch effort to get to their destinations for the Fourth of the July holiday after storms walloped the country, causing delays and cancelations
NEWARK: Travelers attempt to get to their destination after thousands of flights have been delayed and canceled. As of Monday morning, more than 1,000 were canceled or delayed
More severe weather is expected to pummel at least 15 states from the Northeast and mid-Atlantic to the Southeast on Monday following a day of storms that wreaked havoc on travel
One passenger posted a video of crowds of people waiting at a United Airlines gate with what appeared to be just one employee at the desk.
‘United airlines is just criminally bad,’ he wrote, noting in the video the ratio of employees to customers. ‘High volume of calls? No, you are understaffed and unprepared.’
Another disappointed traveler shared a video on Twitter that showed as she searched for her lost luggage in a sea of suitcases at Newark Liberty International Airport in New Jersey.
She also tweeted at the airline numerous times: ‘United Airlines, terminal C, flight cancelled, family vacation did not work, but somehow 4 days later our luggage made it to our destination. so disappointed!’
More than 50 million people are expected to make a trip of 50 miles or more this holiday weekend with AAA predicting the numbers will break records.
One disappointed traveler shared a video on Twitter that showed her searching for her lost luggage in a sea of suitcases at Newark International Airport in New Jersey
There were 15,567 flight delays in and out of the United States on Saturday and Sunday and a total of 905 flights were canceled, which snowballed from severe weather over the past few days in different areas of the country.
More severe weather is expected to pummel at least 15 states from the Northeast and mid-Atlantic to the Southeast on Monday – and possibly into Tuesday.
Not only is air travel being snarled, but so it road traffic with millions of people along the Interstate 95 corridor under the threat of strong winds, hail and possibly an isolated tornado.
Passengers rest Newark Airport as delays continue Monday a day before the Fourth off July
eople wait in line at the security check in of JFK International airport on June 30
Stranded passengers have reported having to sleep at the airport, stand in line for hours as they rebook flights, with some saying they were forced to wait days for their checked bags
Today’s continued travel chaos comes after furious passengers stranded in airports across the country lashed out at Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg for not fixing the airline industry.
But Buttigieg doesn’t appear worried with how the airlines plan to improve, instead on Sunday said he is ‘focused’ on making sure they stay on track over the holiday as he warned of ‘severe weather’ causing even more delays and cancelations.
According to the National Weather Service, there were more than 250 combined reports of wind, hail and possible tornado damage from the Mississippi River to the East Coast.
On Monday, travelers on Interstate 95 corridor from southern New England to the mid-Atlantic and the Carolinas will be at risk.
Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg warned of more ‘severe weather’ disruptions to air travel over holiday after approximately 7,500 cancelations and tens of thousands of delays
Video shared on social media shows how the storms flooded the streets in Ellenburg, New York
The area from southern New Jersey through South Carolina is at a level 2 out of 5 on its thunderstorm risk scale, according to the Storm Prediction Center.
The East Coast could also see severe weather last into Fourth of July on Tuesday. The SPC has also placed parts of the Plains and Upper Midwest at a level 2 out of 5 on its thunderstorm risk scale.
Travelers took to Twitter where they slammed multiple airline throughout the debacle, which has left thousands stranded at airports for hours or even days.
One passenger called out United for canceling their flight, leaving them stranded in Newark, New Jersey for five days.
‘Unbelievable. Our flight was slated to leave today a full two hours before any storms, but United cancelled our flight again. We are marooned in Newark, and have been for 5 days. No hotel rooms for us, promise to reimburse, spending $1000s. #UnitedAirlines #familyfirst.’
One passenger slammed United for canceling their flight, leaving them stranded in Newark
More than 50 million people are expected to make a trip of 50 miles or more this holiday weekend with AAA predicting the numbers will break records
United Airlines was hit hard by cancelations, and now the company is offering furious passengers 30,000 air miles to try and convince them to stay loyal to the company following a week of cancellation chaos – forcing many to spend nights in airports with many never landing at their final destinations.
United was also scrambling to save face after it emerged that the carrier’s CEO, Scott Kirby, flew privately from New York to Denver, while paying customers were left sleeping on airport floors.
‘Taking a private jet was the wrong decision because it was insensitive to our customers who were waiting to get home,’ Kirby said in a statement issued by the airline.
Passengers were unimpressed, with one tweeting a screenshot of his $10 million salary – significantly more than the CEOs of Delta or American Airlines.
Scott Kirby, the CEO of United Airlines. His airline is offering air miles as an apology to passengers stranded this week
Passengers have been offered 30,000 free air miles in a bid to try and keep them flying
In a letter to those worst affected by this week’s chaos, Chief Customer Officer Linda Jojo said: ‘I know this week was hard. Really bad weather, air traffic control issues and some of our own operational challenges led to a rough experience for you and many of our customers.
‘Providing these miles is the right thing to do. After all, you put your trust in us and expect more,’ Jojo added.
United have not said how many people will receive the miles.
Last month, United canceled about 19 percent of its scheduled flights as thunderstorms and equipment failures at a U.S. Federal Aviation Administration facility in Washington caused significant delays for air travelers on the U.S. East Coast.
United is also working with Port Authority of New York and New Jersey to get more gates, Kirby said, adding the company would have to further change or reduce its schedule give itself more spare gates and buffer, particularly during storm season.
Source: | This article originally belongs to Dailymail.co.uk