United passengers stuck on Newark tarmac

United Airlines passengers at Newark Liberty International Airport said they spent hours aboard planes on May 21 as storms disrupted operations and some flights were later canceled, according to NBC New York. The station reported that travelers on multiple United flights described lengthy waits on the tarmac, including one delay that stretched to nearly seven hours. United told NBC New York that weather caused the disruption. Separate travel-tracking reports on May 22 showed dozens of cancellations and well over 100 delays at the New Jersey hub. ### How long were passengers stuck on the ground? NBC New York reported on May 22 that passengers on multiple United flights said they were stranded aboard aircraft for hours at Newark, with some flights eventually canceled after the long wait. One account cited by the station described a delay of nearly seven hours on the tarmac during Wednesday night’s storms. (nbcnewyork.com) United said in a statement carried by NBC New York that weather was responsible for the disruption. Passengers interviewed by the station questioned whether that fully explained the delays after sitting onboard for hours before some flights were scrubbed. ### Which carriers and routes were caught up in the disruption? (nbcnewyork.com) Travel and Tour World reported Newark logged 125 delays and six cancellations in one snapshot, affecting airlines including United, Lufthansa, Delta Air Lines and Air Canada. The outlet said the disruption hit both domestic and international operations at one of the region’s busiest airports. (nbcnewyork.com) The traveler-focused outlets in circulation on May 22 differed on the exact totals, but they pointed in the same direction: Newark was dealing with broad operational strain rather than an isolated problem on one carrier. NBC New York’s reporting tied the most acute passenger complaints to United flights, while the broader airport figures showed a wider backlog. (travelandtourworld.com) ### Was this just a United problem or a wider Newark problem? The Federal Aviation Administration’s National Airspace System status page showed active delay programs elsewhere in the system on May 22 and serves as the federal source for airport event notices and delay conditions. The FAA page available on May 23 did not, in the search result viewed, spell out a Newark-specific event, but it confirmed the agency was posting real-time airspace restrictions and delay updates during the period. (nbcnewyork.com) Newark has faced repeated strain in prior periods as well. NBC New York previously reported on United’s complaints about FAA staffing and technology problems at Newark during an earlier disruption, though that was separate from this week’s weather-related tarmac delays. (nasstatus.faa.gov) ### What should travelers watch now? May 23 was the next key checkpoint for travelers moving through Newark because FAA status updates and airport departure boards were changing in real time. NBC New York’s report established that the May 21 delays carried into cancellations for some passengers, and the broader May 22 counts showed the airport was still dealing with heavy disruption. (nbcnewyork.com) United’s own newsroom page was available for corporate updates, while the FAA’s National Airspace System page remained the federal reference point for current delay programs and airport events. For passengers booked through Newark over the Memorial Day weekend, those were the named sources still posting the next operational updates on May 23. (united.com) (nbcnewyork.com)