United is cutting back flights from Newark

United Airlines is cutting daily flights at its Newark Liberty International hub amid ongoing disruptions, and the lower volume of departures is expected to persist next summer as the company works to alleviate congestion. United, which handles 57% of passengers at the New Jersey airport, will trim daily flights to 390 in August from the roughly 410 it had been operating this summer, executives said Thursday during a conference call to discuss quarterly financial results. The carrier historically has operated 435 flights a day at Newark. The airport is critical for United because it’s the airline’s largest hub for international departures and a primary gateway for domestic flights. Delays or cancellations there can ripple across the airline’s entire network. This summer, Newark’s operations have been snarled by storms, congestion and a shortage of air traffic controllers. “We’re now doing more than ever to mitigate the impact of weather, congestion and other infrastructure constraints at Newark and, frankly, to build a schedule at Newark that’s more manageable given the frequency of weather events and the very real operating constraints that exist there, even on blue sky days,” CEO Scott Kirby said on a conference call Thursday. The airline has been working with the FAA and Port Authority of New York and New Jersey on changes to help reduce cancellations and delays, he said, adding that some steps already have been taken. United is also adding six gates and improving crew scheduling and other technology in its operations.<br/>