WASHINGTON – AUGUST 16: A United Airlines aircraft passes by a Continental Airlines aircraft as it taxis to takeoff from the runway of Ronald Reagan National Airport August 16, 2006 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Alex Wong/Getty Images)
OAN’s Abril Elfi
12:23 PM – Monday, April 1, 2024
United Airlines is asking their pilots to take unpaid time off in the month of May due to a shortage of new Boeing planes.
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On Monday, United Spokesperson Leslie Scott said that the offer is voluntary to reduce excess staffing.
“Due to the recent delays in Boeing deliveries, our forecasted flight hours have been reduced, and we are offering our pilots voluntary programs for the month of May to reduce excess staffing,” Scott said.
The United chapter of the Air Line Pilots Association said that it expects United to offer more time off “for the summer bid periods and potentially into the fall.”
“Due to recent changes to our Boeing deliveries, the remaining 2024 forecast block hours for United have been significantly reduced,” the United chapter of the Air Line Pilots Association, the pilots’ union, said in a note to members Friday. “While the delivery issues surround our 787 and 737 fleets, the impact will affect other fleets as well.”
The airline does not anticipate receiving the Boeing aircrafts in time.
A month ago, United also said that it was only expecting to receive 88 planes this year and 64 in 2025, despite being contractually entitled to 191 planes this year and 127 next year.
Due to the fact that its Max 9 aircraft was grounded for inspections for three weeks following the blowout on the Alaskan plane, United had previously stated that it anticipated losing money in the first quarter.
On April 16th, the Chicago-based airline is expected to release its financial results.
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