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How United Became This Week's Most Incompetent Airline

The U.S. air travel industry is wading through yet another rough week. Since Saturday, major carriers have delayed or canceled tens of thousands of domestic flights as brutal thunderstorms, wildfire smoke, and otherwise extreme weather conditions blanketed the Northeast, Midwest, and South. Hundreds of thousands of passengers were stranded across the country, left with no efficient means by which to complete their voyages, or to prepare for holiday travel ahead of the Fourth of July weekend. By Thursday, however, most of the immediate issues plaguing airlines had subsided as the climate settled itself, although pilots and air traffic controllers—already dealing with staffing shortages—remain wary of the potential for more inclement weather over the well-booked holiday period.

Slate     Jun 30, 2023