United Airlines CEO urges flyers to buy 'cheapest' tickets ever… but there's a catch
After tarmac construction delays, several well-documented traffic control outages, and a wave of cancellations, travelers have been avoiding Newark International Airport.
That chaos has unexpectedly created what Kirby is calling an affordable window to fly into the airport.
'Because we lost a lot of bookings, there's a lot more seats available,' Kirby said in an interview with the Wall Street Journal.
'It's going to be the cheapest it's probably ever going to be in history.'
Newark Airport, one of United's major US hubs, has quickly responded to safety concerns.
Airlines have cut back on their Newark-bound offerings and the US Department of Transportation Secretary, Sean Duffy, said officials are updating equipment to minimize risk.
Completion of a new communications line is expected by July.
In the meantime, Kirby and Duffy have both said it is safe to fly into Newark.
'Newark is safe,' Kirby said, while calling the customer hesitance a 'perception issue.'
United has cut back on 35 daily scheduled flights into its hub to help quell the traffic.
Still, the airport is facing massive staffing shortages, and air flight controllers have been publicly sounding the alarm about potential safety risks.
The warnings also come as Americans witnessed a series of deadly airline crashes to start the year.
In January, 67 people died when a military helicopter collided with a commercial plane near Ronald Reagan National Airport.
Last week, a Cessna descended into a San Diego neighborhood, killing six.
Safety issues and continued drops in consumer economic sentiment have become a toxic mix for major airlines.
Some of the biggest companies — including United, American, Delta, and Southwest — all expected booming sales in 2025.
But domestic fliers have largely pulled back on travel spending as fears about sticky inflation and increased prices from tariffs remain.
Southwest and United have both responded to the concerns by dropping some of their domestic flights from schedules.
United cut its domestic flight lineup by 4 percent.
Still, the company believes it will turn a profit this year. It confirmed its strong business with a quirky twist on a traditional financial outlook.
The airliner reported two potential forecasts for the rest of 2025. One potential earnings forecast shows the company's finances if the US avoids a recession, while the other one shows the profit if the economy continues to contract.
'The Company's outlook is dependent on the macro environment,' United said in a filing.
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