Latest news with #UnitedAirlines'
Axios
16 hours ago
- Business
- Axios
Communicator spotlight: Josh Earnest of United Airlines
As United Airlines' executive vice president of communications and advertising, Josh Earnest is responsible for sharing how the airline differs from its competitors. Why it matters: Much of the job is spent protecting the brand amid ongoing crises — from COIVD-19 groundings, to the Boeing quality control issues, to the recent air traffic challenges at Newark Liberty International Airport, one of United's hubs. What he's saying: Travelers have to relinquish control to the airline that's getting them from point A to point B, which "makes the association that fliers have with our brand all the more important," Earnest told Axios. Flyers pay attention to how the airlines communicate during a crisis "because they see their own personal stake in it," he said. "When people are sitting on that plane, they are feeling out of control. When you're sitting on an airplane, sometimes you don't even have access to WiFi — although we're doing a lot to try to fix that — and you're arriving whenever we decide to arrive. Hopefully your bags will make it, but we're the ones looking out for them. And you're certainly counting on United to keep you safe." State of play: United operates nearly 70% of the flights at Newark, which means the airline has a huge stake in the recent flight disruptions caused by air traffic control issues. "A lot of the challenges at Newark are totally outside of the control of United Airlines. We're talking about air traffic controllers, state and local regulators at the New York and New Jersey Port Authority, federal regulators at the FAA and the Department of Transportation, and the air traffic controllers union," he said. Yes, but: While things might be outside of United's control, its brand is impacted, and it is "not an option for us to sit on the sidelines," Earnest said. "That's why we have worked both to engage with government regulators, to try to come up with policy solutions that could solve the problem, but also why we've been really out in front in communicating with the public and with our customers about what is being done to make it more reliable." Most recently, United slashed ticket prices for Newark-based flights and partnered with JetBlue to allow for more flight options out of nearby Kennedy International Airport. Catch up quick: Before joining United, Earnest spent more than two decades in politics, most recently serving as White House press secretary for the Obama administration. Zoom in: Earnest sits on the executive team, reporting to United president Brett Hart. He oversees a team of about 140 people who are responsible for the airline's global communications, advertising and community engagement strategies. The team structure "allows us to integrate the creative, paid efforts with our aggressive, proactive earned efforts," he said. "There's no enterprise that can rely on one channel of communication, and it just means that there's a higher premium placed on a well-integrated communication strategy." "We will often use notes to our employees to drive news coverage. If you think about it, it used to be the other way. We would worry that notes we're sending to our employees could get out. And what do we do to try to prevent that? ... Now we like the benefit of the public seeing that we're transparently communicating with our employees about what's happening."
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
United Airlines says now's the time to book cheap Europe flights from Newark
United Airlines' CEO Scott Kirby said that Newark Liberty International Airport is going to have the best deals for travelers flying to or from the New York metro area this summer. During a Monday news conference with Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy and other officials announcing the early reopening of one of the airport's major runways, Kirby acknowledged that bookings to and from Newark have been soft because of its recent turn in the bad news spotlight, and he said the airline is compensating for that with lower prices to spur demand. "We did get well behind on bookings because of the perception issues around Newark recently, so that means more seats are available, which means the fares are better than they're probably going to ever be in the years to come, so now's the time to book your vacation if you want to go to Europe or you want to head across the country," he said. Still, Kirby doesn't seem to believe that customers should be motivated by price alone when choosing who they fly with. At an event hosted by The Wall Street Journal in May, Kirby said he thinks the ultra-low cost airline model has turned passengers off. Frequent flyer win?: United and JetBlue plan to share miles and status benefits "It's a crappy model," he said. "The model was screw the customer. Trick people, get them to buy, get them to come, and charge them a whole bunch of fees they aren't expecting." Instead, he suggested, travelers prefer ticket prices that are more clear about what they do and don't include, and aren't necessarily tempted by low prices alone anymore. Zach Wichter is a travel reporter and writes the Cruising Altitude column for USA TODAY. He is based in New York and you can reach him at zwichter@ This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: United Airlines CEO: Newark will have great flight deals this summer
USA Today
3 days ago
- Business
- USA Today
United Airlines says now's the time to book cheap Europe flights from Newark
United Airlines says now's the time to book cheap Europe flights from Newark Show Caption Hide Caption How Newark airport issues could affect your summer travel plans Summer flyers beware: Newark airport delays and what to expect United Airlines CEO Scott Kirby stated that Newark Liberty International Airport will offer the best flight deals in the New York area this summer. Kirby attributed the lower prices to a decrease in bookings due to recent negative publicity surrounding the airport. He encouraged travelers to book flights now to take advantage of these deals. United Airlines' CEO Scott Kirby said that Newark Liberty International Airport is going to have the best deals for travelers flying to or from the New York metro area this summer. During a Monday news conference with Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy and other officials announcing the early reopening of one of the airport's major runways, Kirby acknowledged that bookings to and from Newark have been soft because of its recent turn in the bad news spotlight, and he said the airline is compensating for that with lower prices to spur demand. "We did get well behind on bookings because of the perception issues around Newark recently, so that means more seats are available, which means the fares are better than they're probably going to ever be in the years to come, so now's the time to book your vacation if you want to go to Europe or you want to head across the country," he said. Still, Kirby doesn't seem to believe that customers should be motivated by price alone when choosing who they fly with. At an event hosted by The Wall Street Journal in May, Kirby said he thinks the ultra-low cost airline model has turned passengers off. Frequent flyer win?: United and JetBlue plan to share miles and status benefits "It's a crappy model," he said. "The model was screw the customer. Trick people, get them to buy, get them to come, and charge them a whole bunch of fees they aren't expecting." Instead, he suggested, travelers prefer ticket prices that are more clear about what they do and don't include, and aren't necessarily tempted by low prices alone anymore. Zach Wichter is a travel reporter and writes the Cruising Altitude column for USA TODAY. He is based in New York and you can reach him at zwichter@
Yahoo
29-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
After several meltdowns this spring, it will be the ‘cheapest' summer to fly United Airlines at Newark Airport, CEO says
After a series of air traffic control outages, short staffing, and runway construction caused repeated days of delays and cancelations at Newark Liberty International Airport it'll be the cheapest summer to fly there in United Airlines' history, according to the airline's CEO. 'Because we lost a lot of bookings, there's a lot more seats available,' Scott Kirby, United Airlines CEO said at the Wall Street Journal's Future of Everything event 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 and it's going to be the least crowded.' The slashed summer airfares come after a difficult month for the New Jersey airport that endured a slew of air traffic control issues caused by short staffing and major outages of the antiquated Federal Aviation Administration infrastructure, all while a runway is closed for the challenges, Kirby reiterated the airport is safe and encouraged travelers to book flights. On Wednesday, Secretary of Transportation Sean Duffy said a new fiberoptic cable laid between Philadelphia and New York will improve the reliability of the air traffic control facility handling flights in and out of Newark. The Department of Transportation hopes the cable will be operational by July. Kirby was an advocate for slot controls at the airport, noting the airport was unable to accommodate the number of flights he and his competitors had scheduled. Last week, the FAA announced it was cutting 25% of flights each day to put a band aid on the situation while runway construction continues. 'This is short term, painful for us at Newark, but it's long term better, because the FAA is going to do what they do at JFK and LaGuardia, which is, manage the number of flights to be equal to the capacity of the airport,' Kirby said Thursday.
CNN
29-05-2025
- Business
- CNN
After several meltdowns this spring, it will be the ‘cheapest' summer to fly United Airlines at Newark Airport, CEO says
After a series of air traffic control outages, short staffing, and runway construction caused repeated days of delays and cancelations at Newark Liberty International Airport it'll be the cheapest summer to fly there in United Airlines' history, according to the airline's CEO. 'Because we lost a lot of bookings, there's a lot more seats available,' Scott Kirby, United Airlines CEO said at the Wall Street Journal's Future of Everything event 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 and it's going to be the least crowded.' The slashed summer airfares come after a difficult month for the New Jersey airport that endured a slew of air traffic control issues caused by short staffing and major outages of the antiquated Federal Aviation Administration infrastructure, all while a runway is closed for the challenges, Kirby reiterated the airport is safe and encouraged travelers to book flights. On Wednesday, Secretary of Transportation Sean Duffy said a new fiberoptic cable laid between Philadelphia and New York will improve the reliability of the air traffic control facility handling flights in and out of Newark. The Department of Transportation hopes the cable will be operational by July. Kirby was an advocate for slot controls at the airport, noting the airport was unable to accommodate the number of flights he and his competitors had scheduled. Last week, the FAA announced it was cutting 25% of flights each day to put a band aid on the situation while runway construction continues. 'This is short term, painful for us at Newark, but it's long term better, because the FAA is going to do what they do at JFK and LaGuardia, which is, manage the number of flights to be equal to the capacity of the airport,' Kirby said Thursday.
