HOUSTON – Travelers in Houston are feeling the ripple effects of significant delays at Newark Liberty International Airport (EWR), a major hub for United Airlines.
The airline has announced the cancellation of 35 round-trip flights daily from Newark due to chronic air traffic controller staffing shortages and recent technology failures.
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With many Houstonians relying on flights to and from George Bush Intercontinental Airport (IAH) that connect through Newark, these disruptions could impact summer travel plans.
Air Traffic Control Reform
In a message to United Airlines customers on Friday, United Airlines CEO Scott Kirby emphasized the urgency of addressing the air traffic control system at Newark.
“For many years, United has been very clear and vocal about the need to fix the Air Traffic Control system in EWR,” Kirby wrote. “The long-simmering FAA challenges boiled over this week.”
Recent technology failures have led to dozens of diverted flights and hundreds of delays and cancellations at Newark.
Kirby noted that over 20% of the Federal Aviation Administrators (FAA) controllers at EWR walked off the job, exacerbating an already critical staffing shortage.
“Without these controllers, it’s now clear that Newark airport cannot handle the number of planes that are scheduled to operate there in the weeks and months ahead,” he added.
Impact on Houston Travelers
For Houston travelers, this situation is particularly concerning.
United is the largest airline serving the Houston metro. Its stake in George Bush Intercontinental Airport is enormous.
According to United’s website, the airline flies 388 daily flights from Houston’s Bush Airport to approximately 114 cities. That number included “frequent daily service to top business travel markets in Newark/New York, Chicago, and Los Angeles.”
The airline operates numerous flights from IAH to Newark, and with the ongoing cancellations, many travelers may find their plans disrupted.
As a result, United’s CEO expressed disappointment over the need for further cuts to Newark’s flight schedule.
“Since there is no way to resolve the near-term structural FAA staffing issues, we feel like there is no other choice in order to protect our customers,” Kirby said.
He also urged the U.S. government to take decisive action to limit the number of flights at Newark to what the airport can realistically handle.
Does Houston Have A Problem?
The answer is both yes and no.
Getting flights to and from Houston is a team effort.
For example, if Houston had perfect weather every day, a fully staffed and stocked airport, we would be ready to go.
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However, staffing problems at Newark, snow in Denver, and thunderstorms in Florida can delay planes coming from and going to each of those destinations.
Each city is just a piece of a much larger puzzle, which relies on the other pieces to work effectively.
However, we can look at how Houston’s staffing shapes up against others.
In 2024, the FAA released a study titled The Air Traffic Controller Workforce Plan.
The study outlines the FAA’s strategy for managing the air traffic controller workforce in the United States.
It includes staffing requirements, hiring plans, training processes, and the impact of recent challenges such as the COVID-19 pandemic on controller operations and staffing levels, while also projecting future workforce needs through 2033.
| Facility Name | 2024 Staffing Standards Target | CPC (Certified Professional Controller) | CPC-IT (Certified Professional Controller-In Training) | Developmental | Total | 2024 CRWG (Crisis Response Working Group) Target |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Houston ARTCC (Air Route Traffic Control Center) | 241 | 245 | 10 | 28 | 283 | 302 |
| Houston TRACON (Terminal Radar Approach Control) | 84 | 78 | 13 | 0 | 91 | 96 |
| George Bush Intercontinental Airport Tower (IAH) | 32 | 30 | 3 | 0 | 33 | 39 |
| William P. Hobby Airport Tower (HOU) | 18 | 18 | 2 | 0 | 20 | 22 |
So, what does all of this data mean? For the most part, Houston area air traffic control are near or just below the target staffing standards set by the FAA.
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Government Response and Future Plans
- The Secretary of the U.S. Department of Transportation, Sean Duffy, echoed the need for modernization in air traffic control systems.
The technology that we are using is old. That’s what is causing the outages and delays we are seeing at Newark.
— Secretary Sean Duffy (@SecDuffy) May 2, 2025
If we don’t act, we will start to see these issues across the national airspace.
That’s why I’m announcing a plan next week to build an all-new air traffic control… pic.twitter.com/KAJspPNiQQ
“The system that we’re using in air traffic control, it’s incredibly old. This system is 25, 30 years old. We use floppy disks. We use copper wires,” Secretary Duffy said.
The head of the U.S. Department of Transportation also acknowledged that while the system is safe, it is ineffective for managing current air traffic demands.
“When we have problems with air traffic control, we actually shut down the airspace. We will ground flights. They won’t take off. But the consequence is the delays and the cancellations,” he said.
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Duffy has since announced plans for a comprehensive overhaul of the air traffic control system.
“Next week, I’m coming out with a plan that’s going to build a brand-new air traffic control system, state-of-the-art, gold-plated, envy of the world,” he said.
He detailed that the initiative would include laying fiber, upgrading radar and radios, and replacing all equipment facing controllers.
“By doing that, we’re going to guarantee that our airspace is not just safe, but the airspace will be far more efficient,” Duffy said.
In March, the president of the National Air Traffic Controllers Association, Nick Daniels, spoke in front of Congress about the need for better infrastructure and more staffing.
During that address, Daniels said there are currently 10,800 air traffic controllers, but that’s still 3,600 short of what’s needed to keep planes safely flying in American airspace.
This statistical data, however, contradicts information published by the FAA in 2023, saying there are 13,853 controllers in its workforce.
A Call for Collaboration
The Association of Flight Attendants-CWA (AFA-CWA) also weighed in on the situation.
AFA-CWA International President Sara Nelson highlighted the need for infrastructure improvements and adequate staffing.
“Our air traffic controllers are the best in the world, and they are making sure aviation stays safe,” she said. “We support every effort to secure the funding necessary to staff up and provide the resources that are a decade overdue for our air traffic controllers to be able to do their jobs.”
As the FAA works to improve the situation, travelers in Houston should stay informed about potential disruptions to their travel plans.
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United Airlines says it’s committed to minimizing the impact on customers, but the ongoing challenges at Newark highlight the need for systemic changes in air traffic control operations.
In the meantime, travelers are encouraged to check their flight status and be prepared for possible delays or cancellations.
KPRC 2 has asked United Airlines for information about flight cancellations to and from Houston as a result of the ongoing problems in New Jersey. We’re waiting to hear back from the airline.
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