CHICAGO (WBBM) - United Airlines has cancelled more than 1,100 flights since December 23, reportedly four times as many flights as American Airlines cancelled. Yesterday alone, United had cancelled 71 flights systemwide by late afternoon.
So what's going on with United? WBBM's Steve Miller reports.
United management says it's weather. A spokeswoman says United had its worst December, in terms of weather, at its two biggest hubs, Chicago and Denver.
The United pilots union says it's not just weather - that it's mismanagement. Bad scheduling. And understaffing.
Joe Schwieterman, transportation expert at DePaul University, says it's clear that some of the internal processes at United have contributed to the need to cancel flights.
"United management distinguished itself pretty well after bankruptcy. They're leading the industry in several key categories, and it's just unfortunate to see them stumble like this. It's probably a problem with multiple factors coming together at the wrong time to lead to hundreds of cancellations," Schweiterman said.
"But believe me, the airline responds much quicker now than they did pre-bankruptcy."
Schwieterman says the cancellations are costing United "a lot of money."
"These kinds of service disruptions can ripple through the bottom line because whether the plane operates or not, the airline is paying lease payments on the aircraft. You've got airport facilities, you have insurance, and you have labor at the airport that's being paid.
"So this came at a bad time for the company. High load factors, big holiday season. Slow news period, so there's been a lot of not-so-good press. And I think they want to get a handle on this real quick."
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