Airlines have a lot to apologize for but United, the US’s second-biggest carrier, has been upfront about its failure to prepare for a deluge of holiday delays that left customers waiting in subfreezing temperatures at Chicago’s O’Hare International Airport.
Said Chief Executive Glenn Tilton in a message to employees:
“We disappointed our customers by not being prepared, as we should have been. We will identify and we will resolve the cause.”
The problem reported in TravelMole last week involved disruptions and long lines up to four hours and more at the airport.
“The airline is trying to convince customers that its performance is improving and that it is ready to emerge from three years of bankruptcy protection,” wrote the latimes.com.
United spokeswoman Jean Medina said the disruptions were caused in part by weather-related flight cancellations that pushed passengers to later flights.
United says its customers filed 16% fewer complaints with the federal government recently than in 2002 when it filed for bankruptcy protection.
Report by David Wilkening
