Severe storms leave Newark with 179 delays; Port Authority proposes $75M upgrade

Severe thunderstorms over the Northeast snarled operations at Newark Liberty International Airport on Wednesday night and into Thursday, stranding some United Airlines passengers aboard planes for hours and forcing delays and cancellations across the airport. Passenger accounts carried by NBC New York described tarmac waits of as long as seven hours after flights boarded on May 21, with some trips later canceled. The Federal Aviation Administration said in its daily air traffic report for May 22 that thunderstorms could delay flights at several U.S. airports, though Newark was not singled out in that advisory. The disruption came as the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey approved $75 million in near-term upgrades for Newark’s aging Terminal B. ### Which flights were caught up in the Newark disruption? United Airlines passengers on multiple Newark departures said they boarded Wednesday afternoon and remained on planes for hours as storms moved through the region. NBC New York reported that some of those flights were ultimately canceled after lengthy tarmac delays. Alan Tuerkheimer, a passenger headed to Chicago, told NBC New York he boarded at 5:40 p.m. and then waited on the tarmac for seven hours. “We ended up sitting on the tarmac for seven hours,” he said. He later took an Uber to Newark Penn Station around 2 a.m., boarded an Amtrak train to Philadelphia and found another flight to Chicago, according to NBC New York. (nbcnewyork.com) ### How extensive were the delays and cancellations? The preliminary figures cited in reports on the disruption were 179 delays and 62 cancellations at Newark on May 22. Those numbers were referenced in secondary travel coverage and matched the broader picture of widespread disruption described by local reporting, though the FAA’s public daily report did not publish Newark-specific totals. (nbcnewyork.com) Federal Department of Transportation rules generally bar U.S. airlines from keeping a domestic flight on the tarmac for more than three hours, unless the pilot cites a security reason or air traffic control says returning to a gate would significantly disrupt airport operations, NBC New York reported. United told NBC New York that severe weather striking the Northeast caused the disruptions. (nasstatus.faa.gov) ### What did passengers say happened on board? NBC New York reported that passengers described confusion and limited information as they waited for updates on the ground at Newark. Tuerkheimer said, “It was very confusing — we’re wondering, ‘What’s going on, what were they telling compared to what was really going on, what were they not telling us?’” (nbcnewyork.com) Another passenger told NBC New York that tensions could have escalated during the delay but did not. The station reported that several United travelers said they had to make their own alternate plans after flights were canceled. ### What is the Port Authority approving at Terminal B? The Port Authority board of commissioners on May 22 authorized $75 million in near-term improvements for Terminal B at Newark Liberty. (nbcnewyork.com) The agency said the spending is the first phase of a broader three-year, $200 million program in its 2026-2035 capital plan to maintain and modernize the terminal until a new Terminal B opens in the mid-2030s. Terminal B opened in 1973 and was designed for about 6.8 million annual passengers, but it handled about 11.5 million passengers in 2025, according to ROI-NJ’s account of the Port Authority announcement. The first phase will focus on gate areas, restrooms, circulation spaces, frontage and lighting, plus elevator, escalator and boarding bridge systems. (roi-nj.com) ### What happens next at Newark? Work on the Terminal B improvements is set to begin this year, according to the Port Authority announcement. Governor Mikie Sherrill said the immediate upgrades were “an important first step” in improving the passenger experience, while Port Authority Chairman Kevin O’Toole said passengers should see changes in seating, restrooms and the systems that move them through the terminal. (roi-nj.com) The longer project runs alongside the airport’s broader redevelopment plan, which began with the 2023 opening of Terminal A. The Port Authority said the new Terminal B is planned as part of Newark Liberty’s long-term overhaul and is scheduled to open in the mid-2030s. (roi-nj.com)