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Home » United Airlines » Pete Buttigieg Rejects Blame From United Airlines CEO Scott Kirby Over Travel Disruptions
NewsUnited Airlines

Pete Buttigieg Rejects Blame From United Airlines CEO Scott Kirby Over Travel Disruptions

Matthew Klint Posted onJune 29, 2023November 13, 2023 51 Comments

a man smiling next to another man

Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg and the union representing United Airlines’ pilots have pushed back against the narrative of United CEO Scott Kirby in blaming the Federal Aviation Administration and its shortage of air traffic controllers for the operational woes United is experiencing this week.

Pete Buttigieg Vs. Scott Kirby On United Airlines Delays

Earlier this week in a blunt email to employees, Kirby placed the blame on United’s high rate of delays and cancellations on the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA):

I’m also frustrated that the FAA frankly failed us this weekend. As you know, the weather we saw in EWR is something that the FAA has historically been able to manage without a severe impact on our operation and customers.

Not so fast, says Transportation Security Pete Buttigieg. In an interview on CNN, Buttigieg reasoned the fact that such travel disruptions were, at this point in the week, unique to United suggests that placing the blame on a shortage of air traffic controllers is not appropriate.

“Look, United Airlines has some internal issues they need to work through. They’ve really been struggling this week, even relative to other US airlines…

“I want to be very clear, air traffic control issues are not the number one issue causing cancellations and delays. They’re not even the number two issue. All the data, including industry’s own data is very clear on that.”

That position was echoed by The Air Line Pilots Association (ALPA), the union representing United pilots. Captain Garth Thompson, head of United ALPA, said:

“United’s travel disruptions this week stem from one source; company senior management’s inadequate planning and insufficient investment in the airline infrastructure.

“Our pilots agree with our passengers that this lack of foresight and disregard of warning signs is unacceptable. It’s time for United leadership to change their thinking and invest in its labor, staff support, and facilities with updated contracts instead of ensuring our CEO has the highest salary.”

It should be noted that pilots are in the midst of a harsh and ongoing battle with United Airlines for a new contract.

So is Kirby right or do Buttigieg and ALPA make the stronger point?

Well, clearly United was stretched too thin to handle operations this week and that does not reflect well on the carrier. On the other hand, United has a fortress hub in Newark and when a flow control program severely limits arrivals and departures there, the domino effects of delays and cancellations are not unexpected.

The problem for United is Newark: its schedule is too ambitious when contrasted with the realities of the congested air space around it that make it extremely difficult to run an on-time operation, even when the weather is cooperating.

Is this event totally United’s fault, like the Southwest meltdown last year in which its ancient software totally lost track of where pilots and flight attendants even were? Perhaps not, but flight attendants have reported 18-hour holds in reaching crew scheduling and we are now seeing parallels.

CONCLUSION

Whether United goes into “full meltdown” mode over the holiday weekend is still an open question. Delays and cancellations continue to mount today. We are either seeing the end of a rough patch or just the beginning of a major meltdown.

image: United Airlines (with Buttigieg superimposed)

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About Author

Matthew Klint

Matthew is an avid traveler who calls Los Angeles home. Each year he travels more than 200,000 miles by air and has visited more than 135 countries. Working both in the aviation industry and as a travel consultant, Matthew has been featured in major media outlets around the world and uses his Live and Let's Fly blog to share the latest news in the airline industry, commentary on frequent flyer programs, and detailed reports of his worldwide travel.

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51 Comments

  1. Jerry Reply
    June 29, 2023 at 1:59 pm

    Like so many things today, all of them are right, and they’re all to blame. The FAA made mistakes, Kirby is too focused on his bottom line, and labor is being too greedy.

    I’m going to Mexico City this weekend, but I’ll be walking across the Rio Grande and flying out of REX. I think the holiday weekend is going to be a disaster in the USA.

  2. Jan Reply
    June 29, 2023 at 2:17 pm

    Oh wow, a terrible DoT secretary versus a blowhard CEO, with the ALPA chief unnecessarily coming in with a steel chair. It’s like watching a brawl break out between crackheads in the street, I just don’t know who to root for!

    • Billy Bob Reply
      June 29, 2023 at 2:39 pm

      Must be exhausting to hate everybody

      • Chi Hsuan Reply
        June 29, 2023 at 2:46 pm

        You would know.

        • Christian Reply
          June 29, 2023 at 2:52 pm

          Really? Your rejoinder is “I know you are but what am I?”? Try some more advanced counterpoints that have actual arguments rather than childish quips.

          • Chi Hsuan
            June 29, 2023 at 4:49 pm

            Up your A$$ with a piece of glass.

  3. Christian Reply
    June 29, 2023 at 2:36 pm

    I wonder how Kirby blames 18 hours for United to answer the phone on the FAA. He’s quite skilled at pointing fingers at anyone but himself. Must be nice to never be the one at fault.

  4. Hal Reply
    June 29, 2023 at 2:39 pm

    Given that the Buttigieg has been the worst transportation secretary in recant memory, I’d give very little weight to what he says.

    • Billy Bob Reply
      June 29, 2023 at 2:40 pm

      Can you name any other transportation secretaries without googling? Didn’t think so

      • Chi Hsuan Reply
        June 29, 2023 at 2:50 pm

        We usually don’t have to, but we have seen a larger number of disasters under this “administration” – supply chain meltdowns, operational meltdowns. The fact that everyone knows who he is, and that his name is usually attached to disaster, incompetence, and laziness speaks volumes on him and his ilk.

        Of course, what would you expect from an inept diversity hire with no qualifications?

        • Billy Bob Reply
          June 29, 2023 at 4:52 pm

          Yea I’m sure he told corporations to send all their manufacturing overseas, then told China to have a zero covid policy and shut down their operations so nobody could get any goods causing the supply chain meltdown.

          Then he called Bob Jordan over at southwest and told them not to upgrade their IT systems causing probably the biggest airline meltdown of all time.

          Everyone here is mostly blaming old woke Scott Kirby for the United issues though so we know the current issue is not because of buttigieg.

          Face it, You know who he is because he is gay and that makes you feel funny inside

          • Chi Hsuan
            June 29, 2023 at 6:47 pm

            I find him creepy and repulsive, much like I feel about you.

            Fact is, Ballgag was never qualified for this Job nor his mayor “job”. Like most slime ball politicians he is great at deflecting blame from himself. He’s lying about United’s “internal issues” being the cause of the delays. He even admitted there was a shortage of air traffic controllers. That is not to say United deserves no blame – they certainly fared the worst, but the delays affected all the airlines, not just United.

        • Christian Reply
          June 29, 2023 at 7:31 pm

          Another impressively baseless diatribe (look it up).

          • Chi Hsuan
            June 29, 2023 at 7:42 pm

            Go fart in a spacesuit

      • Bandmeeting Reply
        June 29, 2023 at 5:10 pm

        Elizabeth Dole. The Liddy light.

    • Katrina Reply
      June 30, 2023 at 3:32 pm

      That’s preposterous. Past secetaries (including LaHood), his employees, many memners of Congress, governors and mayors from both parties have said he’s doing an extraordinary job. This has been one of the most difficult times to have his postition and he has come up with creative solutions to fix said problems (many of which happened because they were neglected for decades). DaFazio said th same before he retired. BTW, United’s pilots are siding with Pete and they are saying that Kirby is trying to pass the buck.

  5. GKK Reply
    June 29, 2023 at 2:59 pm

    I wonder how many times WH/executive branch mouthpieces have used the words, “Look” and “I want to be very clear” in public statements?

    These particular verbal tics have completely infested the Biden administration.

  6. Brian Reply
    June 29, 2023 at 3:08 pm

    United is blaming the weather, the FAA, and ANYTHING but themselves for this East coast fiasco. I spent 12h at Newark on Sunday, on the plane tarmac 3h+2h, and in the terminal for 4h, to take a 90 minute flight to CLE. We have technology for self driving cars but the airlines can’t operate, recover, or provide accurate time estimates with IRROPS? Come on.

    • Justin Reply
      June 30, 2023 at 1:06 pm

      That’s because this type of technology is not certified in the aviation industry. Cars can drive themselves, but plaes cannot because of how strict FAA is.

  7. Santastico Reply
    June 29, 2023 at 3:22 pm

    Two professional blamers. They never take responsibility for their failures.

  8. Dave Edwards Reply
    June 29, 2023 at 3:25 pm

    Don’t approve of the guys overall performance or all the time he takes off, but in this case, Pete is correct. UA needs to look in the mirror at who is responsible.

  9. Dick Bupkiss Reply
    June 29, 2023 at 3:33 pm

    Buttigieg is right. Kirby is full of it.

    I’ll go further: The recent troubles at United are 100% self-inflicted, caused entirely by their poor management choices. One hundred percent, period.

    It’s not complicated: United management needs to build more slack into the system, so it can stand up to all these entirely predictable (and soon-to-be-repeated) conditions. There are NO surprises here, no black-swan events that were unforeseeable – NONE.

    Management refuses to staff up appropriately, puts all their eggs in one basket (and in the worst basket of all, Newark), then meltdowns are what you get. Expect a lot more of the same. This is NOT complicated! United’s leadership (pardon the expression) has simply chosen to run too lean, so when things go wrong, you get people sleeping on cots at EWR and more drama to come.

    This should not be a surprise, this is what United’s management choices inevitably lead to. Nobody should be shocked, SHOCKED! as things continue to melt down, as they will. Heck, the busy summer travel season hasn’t even started yet, this is just the warm-up act.

    Pete Buttigieg is right. My question for the Secretary is this: What are you going to do about it?

    • Christian Reply
      June 29, 2023 at 3:35 pm

      Tsk tsk. United has Management, not leadership.

    • Santastico Reply
      June 29, 2023 at 3:43 pm

      @Dick Bupkiss: Both are full of it. It is well known that Kirby is a professional blamer and never takes responsibility for anything. All he cares is woke policies. Now, for the other guy, it is well known that there is a shortage of air traffic controllers in the US and FAA has done absolutely nothing to solve it.

      You can read more here: https://www.forbes.com/sites/suzannerowankelleher/2023/06/26/faa-lacks-a-plan-for-air-traffic-control-shortage-per-government-report/?sh=772d0f763a26

      • Aaron Reply
        June 29, 2023 at 4:35 pm

        “All he cares is woke policies.”

        Oh bloody hell, not this nonsense.

        • Santastico Reply
          June 29, 2023 at 4:53 pm

          @Aaron: Hey!!! Get out of your basement. It is sunny and warm out there. But make sure you keep your mask on since your friend from Canada is burning his country and blowing the smoke to us. I am glad you agree with me with the FAA boss sitting on his ass and doing nothing to solve the shortage of air traffic controllers.

          • Aaron
            June 29, 2023 at 5:00 pm

            Oh honey that “insult” of yours stopped being remotely interesting in 2021. It’s 2023, ffss get some new material.

            And I don’t agree with you. But hey, any excuse for you to keep spouting your nonsense…

          • Santastico
            June 29, 2023 at 5:27 pm

            @Aaron: so, you believe that the fact the FAA has absolutely no clue how to address shortage of air traffic controllers is a nonsense? Do you know of a plan that hasn’t been released?

          • Aaron
            June 29, 2023 at 6:50 pm

            I think it’s nonsense to only blame the FAA for the issue. Also, I don’t work for the FAA, so I have no idea what their plans are behind the scenes, but you apparently do, so good for you.

      • Billy Bob Reply
        June 29, 2023 at 4:56 pm

        To be fair to the FAA… everyone is still living high off the hog from the $1200 covid relief checks from 2 years ago and because of that nobody wants to work anymore

        • Santastico Reply
          June 29, 2023 at 5:25 pm

          Do you know how to get more people to become air traffic controllers? Make the job more attractive. Maybe offer a better compensation, better benefits, better working hours, better training. That is how it works. If the job sucks, nobody wants to do it. Thus, it time for FAA to innovate. How about look into Europe, ME, Latam, Asia, Australia? I never heard there are shortages of air traffic controllers in those places. Maybe FAA can learn something with them.

          • Jan
            June 29, 2023 at 5:30 pm

            Not enough taxpayer dollars to go around. but maybe the government can start defunding DEI initiatives or other truly worthless causes as a start.

          • Billy Bob
            June 29, 2023 at 5:33 pm

            Or how about a real solution and allow people over 30 years old to apply

          • Aaron
            June 29, 2023 at 6:46 pm

            Diversity is bad thing, folks. But only to people who suffer from a certain type of fragility (or are just racist).

          • Santastico
            June 29, 2023 at 8:11 pm

            @Aaron: diversity is great as long as it is fair. BTW, I am Latino so you can’t say I don’t like diversity. What I don’t like is that people use my origins to feel sorry about me. To find ways to give an edge over other people. No, I want to get things by merit and hard work and not because some dumb ass puts in a bucket and thinks I need to be taken care off. Leave my origins alone. So no, diversity is not bad and it makes every company and college better but only if all that diversity is capable and deserve to be there by their merits and not because who they are.

          • Aaron
            June 30, 2023 at 7:22 am

            Trust me, nobody feels sorry for you because you are Latino.

            Also, most people want to get things because of merit and who they are, it’s just sad that some people still aren’t being given the chance due to who they are.

            Also assuming that people aren’t capable because of who they are kind of makes you an ass.

          • Billy Bob
            June 30, 2023 at 10:26 am

            Everybody gets help, or catches a break, or gets lucky to get ahead. Anyone who thinks they built themselves all on their own is completely in denial. You may not even realize it.

            When I was in college I was on an interview for an internship and I was a nervous wreck. I got hired and later found out that the only reason was that the lady doing the interview thought I was attractive. I don’t feel bad that I got “help” to get my foot in the door.

  10. Mike R Reply
    June 29, 2023 at 3:47 pm

    Anyone who has seen Buttegieg on Fox News should know to stay away from bashing him. Like him or not, he’s one of the best at media out there.

  11. Scooter Reply
    June 29, 2023 at 5:06 pm

    I think we can call this what it is – Newark issues. An automated system to help controllers clear ground nav would be amazing and really help the current ATC we have now. Second, United has definitely overplayed their hand at Newark. I hope they push Dulles as their international East Coast gateway going forward and find a way to get slots at JFK or increase LGA to help with O/D traffic. Finally, weather also sucks on the east coast at this time of year. Airlines have a bad history of stretching too thin at all times; let’s hope Delta/AA are watching for when a storm crushes Miami/Boston

    • PsiFighter37 Reply
      June 29, 2023 at 6:53 pm

      UA won’t do that because there is so much valuable O&D traffic out of the NYC metro area that they cannot make IAD their primary TATL gateway.

      • Scooter Reply
        June 30, 2023 at 12:23 am

        Agreed that NYC is valuable O&D, but I’m thinking the way Delta uses ATL to shuttle passengers more than connecting in NY

  12. jm Reply
    June 29, 2023 at 6:55 pm

    I’m no fan of Buttigieg, but this one is all on United. I’d like United’s management to learn that it is more efficient to keep planes, pilots and flight attendants together as much as possible to help recover from weather and traffic delays instead of having each person on their own individual pairing, but they won’t. I’d like them to learn that many more processes need to be automated (such as converting deadheading crew to working crew when dozens are volunteering). I’d like them to learn that they need to hire and train more Schedulers. I’d like them to learn that planning everything with maximum duty days and minimum rest leaves no room for even the tiniest delay. But they won’t learn any of that.

    • Jan Reply
      June 29, 2023 at 6:58 pm

      But they do have a hundred 787’s on order!

  13. Maryland Reply
    June 29, 2023 at 8:09 pm

    Is it at possible Buttigieg could pinch some ATC (temporary) from the military? I know Reagan did this in 1981 when he fired over 11,000 ATC in the rose garden when they were about to strike for slightly better pay and hours. Flights continued and to the best of my remembrance nobody died amongst concerns.

    Look I am not a fan of Reagan but only hope the hard working families not be the victims of this nonsense again. United answer me that.

    • Stuart Reply
      June 29, 2023 at 10:08 pm

      It’s actually a solution. And a good one. I think the dialogue should always be about what can we do rather than who is to blame. And you bring up a good one, @Maryland.

      I think also raising the age limit for hires. But, also, looking to give work visas to foreign air traffic controllers (fyi, virtually all speak English) who see an opportunity to come to the U.S.

      Everyone is so busy fighting for blame that no one wants to fight for solutions. And they are right there in front of us.

      However, that is not the only issue. It’s also pilot shortages, shareholder greed dictating airline operations run beyond the ability, and employees who rely on contracts and unions to assure they do as little as possible for as much as they can milk from the system.

      Solutions work both ways.

  14. Rozellev Reply
    June 29, 2023 at 10:17 pm

    I believe the FAA, every United flight I have out of Newark has been changed going to Europe this year without notice. I work overnight and have caught the changes and had to fix my bookings, I got a flight credit from my Madrid booking change that I can’t wait to use so I can go back to using delta and AA out of DFW vs united.

  15. Hugh Jass Reply
    June 30, 2023 at 12:04 am

    I have your solution right here…

    CAGE MATCH!!! Buttigieg and Kirby. It could be a double bill with Elon and the Zuckster.

    Take all the proceeds and pay the controllers.

  16. SGM, MS Schindler, USA Reply
    June 30, 2023 at 2:14 am

    The pandemic revealed whom we Americans are. A nation of cheap, greedy, racist, grifters. That have weaponized profit, monetized racism, burn books, kill children. I didn’t serve 28 years in the US Army. For this krap. So that the Maga pricks can eff up everything they touch.

  17. That Guy Reply
    June 30, 2023 at 6:39 am

    I was in Newark, flying United, this past weekend. I went back to retrieve a lost bag on Tuesday with no success. There isn’t enough space on the internet for me to go into details of the dozens of examples of United’s failings.

    I will just say this: weather happens. It’s a fact of life that sometimes air travel is put on hold. But how United failed to communicate with their customers in advance, failed to have contingency plans past “Wait in that line for as long as it takes, and file a claim for the luggage we’ve lost track of,” and failed to staff for what was LITERALLY a forecasted event was mind boggling. It was a master class in rank incompetence.

    Scott Kirby and his $9,800,000 compensation in 2022 should be forced to fly United with no more perks than the average customer has. I have to believe it would be an eye-opening experience for him.

  18. Walt Reply
    June 30, 2023 at 9:18 am

    Surprised United didn’t follow Delta’s lead and proactively reduce their flight volumes for the summer to inject a margin of slack into the schedule to mitigate, at least in some measure, these disruptions. I seem to recall Delta announced their summer schedule reductions back in March.

  19. Robb Reply
    June 30, 2023 at 10:51 pm

    Funnily enough ole Scotty decided he wasn’t going to deal with his mess of an airline and flew PRIVATE JET today, Friday June 30th to Denver from New Jersey while his airline delayed/cancelled thousands of flights. Then when he got caught, he simply said “sorry” . Perhaps Scotty should take a good long look in the United mirror and blame the person looking back at him.

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