United Airlines offers passengers hit by cancelation chaos 30,000 FREE airmiles in desperate attempt to save face - after CEO was caught hopping on a private jet while customers were stranded ahead of July 4 holiday
- United Airlines has been the worst affected during this weeks airport chaos
- On Saturday the airline emailed passengers to offer free air miles as an apology
- CEO Scott Kirby also said the airline is trying to reduce its schedule to cope
Embattled United Airlines is offering furious passengers air miles to try and convince them to stay loyal to the company following a week of cancelation chaos.
United is offering 30,000 free air miles to those who were forced to spend nights in airports and to those who didn't get to their destinations at all.
On top of the hundreds of cancelations and delays last week, 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
Passengers are seen in Newark waiting for their rescheduled flight. Newark, a United hub, was the worst affected airport this week, and United the worst airline
United Airlines has been slammed by families who have been stranded at airports across the nation as this week's travel 'flightmare' spilled into Friday
Some travelers were told Monday that they may not be able to get on flights until Thursday
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.
On Saturday, Kirby said the airline plans to make changes in flight operations to avoid weather-related disruptions ahead of the Fourth of July holiday travel.
'While we work to control the things that are within our control, we must also do a better job of planning against the things that are outside our control so that we can be in a position to recover more quickly,' he said.
United Airlines is also working with Port Authority of New York and New Jersey to get more gates, Kirby said, adding that the company would have to further change or reduce its schedule give itself more spare gates and buffer, particularly during storm season.
'Airlines can plan for things like hurricanes, sub-zero temperatures and snowstorms, but United has never seen an extended limited operating environment like the one we saw this past week at Newark,' Kirby said in a note to employees.
United has been the worst affected airline in this week of chaos
Earlier this week Kirby engaged in a war of words with the Transport Secretary, Pete Buttigieg, over the chaos.
Kirby said in a memo to employees that the FAA had 'failed' the airline over the weekend because of a lack of adequate staffing at air traffic control centers.
But Buttigieg hit back in an interview with CNN, saying the airline 'has some internal issues they need to work through.'
'I want to be very clear, air traffic control issues are not the number one issue causing cancellations and delays,' he said on Thursday.
'They're not even the number two issue. All the data, including industry's own data is very clear on that.'
Buttigieg singled out United for its delays, saying other airlines were handling the situation better than them.
'With the exception of United, airlines have recovered to a more typical cancellation/delay rate as of this morning, after the severe weather earlier this week,' Buttigieg tweeted.
United Airlines has also been slammed by passengers who have been stranded at airports across the nation as this week's travel 'flightmare' spilled into Friday - ahead of the Fourth of July holiday weekend.
More than 4,000 U.S. flights were delayed on Friday and nearly 400 canceled.
It came amid a hectic week for travelers across the country, with nearly 7,000 flight cancelations since Monday.
NEW YORK: More than 800 U.S. flights delayed today as the Fourth of July holiday weekend begins. People travel through JFK Airport Terminal 4 on Friday ahead of the July 4th holidays
Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg took aim at the company, singling it out for its delays and cancellations
Moreover, there have been 35,000 delays this week as airports have struggled to manage travelers.
TSA advised Americans to 'pack some patience' as they try to get to their holiday destinations.
'As we approach the July 4th holiday travel period, we're expecting record travel volumes, TSA is staffed & ready to handle the increased volumes with technologies & resources for improved security effectiveness, efficiency, & passenger experience at security checkpoints,' TSA administrator David Pekoske said on Thursday.
'I encourage travelers to pack a bag that starts empty to ensure you don't have any prohibited items, arrive early, have your ID out and ready, and pack some patience.'
