More like nothing around ORD in terms of competing airspace.

EWR went downhill when storms set up solid just West of the field and North. Need that right downwind for the huge line of planes coming from the South. Left traffic doesn’t work. Throw in the North getting blocked and all those international flights get blocked.

Basically for EWR to work running South, you need the 180 radial clockwise up to 350 to be somewhat clear. What happens anywhere East is unusable.

 

EWR will never be successful as a hub. Just too much traffic from the "real" airports. JFK and LGA will always have the priority. Even HPN has more of a priority with the types of influential people that fly in and out of there.

 

Is it still called schadenfreude if the person you are taking pleasure in being harmed is yourself by extension?

A lot of people talking here about the trust Kirby is losing every day that he doesn’t put a AiP on the table, but yet very few people seem to understand that the passengers look at United (and us) the same way. every day that we provide subpar customer service to another group of passengers, we are potentially alienating them in the future. That’s pretty shortsighted. You got to do what you Gotta do to feel in control of this weird roller coaster we call life, but to be gleefull about it? That’s strange… I really don’t find much pleasure in watching this airline fail to deal with IRROPs well.

 

The piece of the equation I think you’re missing is that it’s management’s job to foster a sense of loyalty among the employees. Finding satisfaction in the failings of the employer on whom you depend may not make much sense- which is why employees who feel they are being treated fairly don’t typically react that way. I’ve been saying for months now that while I don’t look forward to a loss of engagement, Kirby has been perfectly setting the stage for just that. (Human behavior may not always be rational, but it is usually predictable.) HR issues did not cause this week’s chaos, but they are being revealed in its aftermath.

 

I certainly feel horrible for the passengers affected by our mis management team. I want nothing but success for UAL long term. We are tied to our airline of choice after a few years by the way our union is set up. That said there is some internal laughing going on watching Mr Kirby go on national TV blaming others for his lack of planning and reliance on EWR as a major hub. Anybody who’s been at UAL more than 2 weeks saw a meltdown coming. EWR has been teetering on failure when the weather was perfect and traffic was down. If people didn’t see the increase in summer traffic and Tstorms equaling a meltdown they were not paying attention. There was no amount of PPD that could make the majority of this group continue to do the jobs of others after being crapped on since 2019. I guarantee you the meltdown would have been different if the pilot group had signed a truly ILC in April or May. People are at the point of just showing up, flying their trips and going home. If the poo hits the fan, they just let it and shake their heads when they don’t feel appreciated.

 

WHY aren't our union leaders going on TV too to counter Kirby's misleading statements?

 

Because when passengers are stranded in Newark for 3 days, they don’t care that airline pilots want more $$$. It all just ends up sounding like chest thumping. Better to make those points directly to management & help them understand how engaged pilots are more likely to step up in moments like this.

 

What you say doesnt make sense. We wouldn't be going on TV countering Kirby asking for more $$, we'd be going on in front of the public demanding he take responsibility and how he is to blame for our lack of QOL (Esp extensions into days off) AND for mismanaging the operation just as much as ATC..

Unlike pay demands, that WILL garner sympathy from the public.

 

no it won’t. the public does not care about our 15 days off and quality of like.

 

I hear your point but I disagree. While you & I understand the nuance of pay vs QOL, the public doesn’t understand or care about our grievances- especially while their travel plans are being disrupted. The typical traveler’s reaction to SK & GT arguing about who’s at fault would be roughly as sympathetic as, “Will somebody please just shut up & get me to Tampa?!”