This will be the cheapest summer to fly out of Newark, says United CEO
If you've ever paid through the nose to fly out of Newark, 2025 might finally be your year. After a turbulent spring filled with flight delays, air traffic control outages and an ongoing major runway closure, United Airlines CEO Scott Kirby says the summer ahead will be the cheapest to fly from Newark Liberty in the airline's history.
'Because we lost a lot of bookings, there's a lot more seats available,' Kirby said at the Wall Street Journal's Future of Everything event on Thursday. 'It's going to be the cheapest it's probably ever going to be in history. I don't really like that, but you ought to book.'
United Airlines, which has a major hub at Newark, was hit particularly hard by FAA staffing shortages and ongoing runway construction that snarled operations throughout May. While Kirby insists the airport remains safe, the impact on bookings has translated into thinner crowds and fire-sale fares—a rare combo for a summer getaway.
Relief may be coming, though: Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy announced Wednesday that a new fiber-optic cable between Philadelphia and New York will stabilize air traffic control operations by July, reports CNN.
In the meantime, United is leaning into the turbulence with an unexpected silver lining: the launch of Blue Sky, a sweeping partnership with JetBlue that gives travelers access to both airlines' flights, loyalty perks, and even some cross-platform booking tools. MileagePlus points can be used for a beachy JetBlue hop to Barbados, or TrueBlue points cashed in for a United trek to Tahiti.
United also just scored a long-term win at JFK Airport, securing up to seven daily round-trip flight slots from JetBlue starting in 2027, a big get for an airline eager to reestablish a presence at the airport. And in a tech twist, JetBlue will soon power United's entire vacation package platform via its in-house travel service, Paisly.
While Kirby admitted that short-term cutbacks—including the FAA's decision to slash daily Newark flights by 25-percent—are 'painful,' he says they're necessary to align traffic with reality. 'It's long term better,' he said. 'The FAA is going to do what they do at JFK and LaGuardia.'
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