JetBlue joins United in shifting blame to FAA for flight delays

JetBlue Airways is raising questions about US air traffic control actions, joining United Airlines Holdings in blaming federal regulators for worsening congestion on a heavy travel week ahead of the Independence Day holiday. Government officials dismissed the carriers’ complaints as baseless, saying weather has led to elevated flight cancellations and delays that left thousands of customers stranded in airports. JetBlue and United also claim the Federal Aviation Administration is partly responsible for hiccups around some of the busiest airports, including New York and Denver. The finger pointing comes as the airline industry braces for a busy flight schedule this weekend that promises to test their resilience after severe disruptions last summer. Carriers have increased “buffers” in their operations by adding reserve crews, but face more airspace congestion and a shortage of air traffic controllers in some cities. “We are working with the FAA to better understand what led to the significant and unexpected ATC restrictions this week that affected thousands of flights across carriers,” JetBlue President Joanna Geraghty told employees in a Wednesday night message. “The severity and lengthy duration of the latest programs were worse than we have seen in the past with similar weather.” That came on the heels of complaints lodged by United CEO Scott Kirby in a staff memo earlier this week that blamed operational woes on an alleged shortfall of air traffic controllers. The CEO told employees “the FAA frankly failed us” by forcing it to trim flights at Newark Liberty International Airport last weekend, affecting 150,000 customers and prompting delays, cancellations and diversions. <br/>