Fed-Up United Flight Attendants Protest At Newark Airport

NEWARK, NJ — Tired of delays and cancelations when flying United Airlines at Newark Airport? Tell them to hire more flight attendants, a national union says.

Earlier this week, United Airlines workers represented by the Association of Flight Attendants (AFA-CWA) held demonstrations outside airports across the nation. Nearly 200 flight attendants showed up for a demonstration at Newark Liberty International Airport in New Jersey.

United Airlines maintains a hub and large presence in Newark. Read More: United Airlines Predicts Big Bump In Revenue Is On The Way

An AFA spokesperson told Patch that the rallies were held to demand that the airline “fix the ongoing operational disruptions that have so tangibly impacted them, thousands of other workers and the traveling public.”

The spokesperson said:

“The bottom line is, United flight attendants have had enough. United management’s failure to properly staff crew schedulers, the flight attendant support team, catering, and more has resulted in 67,485 flight delays and 6,780 cancellations since May of this year, leaving passengers and flight attendants waiting for answers for hours at a time. Flight attendants on the frontlines of these operational meltdowns are left empty-handed, or stranded themselves, without support from management to help address passenger concerns. Just this week, management caused a day of cancellations after failing to do mandatory inspections for some of its Boeing 777-200 planes, but continues to deny responsibility, blaming others – air traffic control, flight attendants, pilots – for operational issues.”

A spokesperson who represents AFA workers at Newark Airport told NJ.com that one issue is a lack of schedulers, which leaves flight attendants waiting “in limbo” up to 12 hours for their next assignment.

A United Airlines spokesperson said the airline has tried to take steps to ameliorate the scheduler issue, NJ.com reported. The company told the Washington Post that it is eager to reach a contract agreement with the union and address their concerns.

• See related article: Newark Airport Worst For Summer Cancellations In US, Report Says

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