Newark Liberty International (EWR) has led all major northeast airports so far this year with the most on-time flights in 2026. That’s a notable achievement given the airport’s ranking about a year ago.
United Airlines, EWR’s largest carrier, achieved its best-ever on-time rate in April and May at Newark, while flying nearly 5.8 million passengers.
The airline is off to a strong start this summer, flying a record three million passengers across its network over the Memorial Day holiday with nearly 70% of customers arriving on time.
The airline expects more than 53 million travelers this summer and continues to win brand-loyal customers by investing in onboard products and services as well as industry-leading technologies like Starlink and the United Mobile App.
Last Spring, EWR experienced a confluence of challenges – FAA radar and radio outages, Air Traffic Control staffing shortages and existing runway construction – that produced significant delays, diversions and cancellations. U.S. Secretary of Transportation Sean Duffy and the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) stepped in by improving staffing, upgrading technology at the airport and, importantly, limiting flights to ensure that the schedules out of Newark match the actual capacity of the airport.
United CEO Scott Kirby was at Newark today to celebrate the turnaround story and thank local employees.
“Newark has operated better than it ever has and that’s a direct result of the actions taken by Secretary Duffy and the FAA as well as the professionalism, dedication and care of our nearly 15,000 local employees,” said Kirby. “Newark is the ‘crown jewel’ of our international network serving as a global gateway to dozens of international destinations – I’m proud of the work we’re doing here, and all across the country, to deliver a great experience and get our customers where they want to go safely and on time.”
Gateway for Global Travelers
Thousands of United employees help power the airline’s Newark operation that connects customers to nearly 320 cities across North, South, and Central America and the Caribbean, including 120 destinations with just one stop. Newark serves as a key gateway to United’s global network, offering nonstop service to 42 destinations across Europe, Africa, the Middle East and India – more Transatlantic destinations than any other carrier from the New York City area.
The hub connects United customers to 15 destinations no other U.S. airline serves including recently launched service to Split, Croatia; Bari, Italy; Glasgow, Scotland and Santiago De Compostela, Spain.
In addition to new routes launched this summer, United will become the only U.S. airline offering nonstop flights between Newark/New York and Seoul, South Korea beginning September 4. This October, the airline will also be the only airline in the New York area to offer service to St. Croix in the U.S. Virgin Islands as passengers seek a Caribbean getaway.
The Best Experience Across Every Cabin This Summer
As travelers gear up for a summer packed with global events from a total solar eclipse in Europe to international soccer matches and major worldwide concert tours, United is ready to deliver customers a best-in-class travel experience. Whether they are flying in United Polaris or United Economy, United continues to invest in onboard and in-app features that bring travelers more comfort, convenience and flexibility throughout their journey, including:
- Starlink Wi-Fi installed across United’s two-cabin regional fleet – more than 25% of United’s average daily flights – giving MileagePlus members reliable, high-speed connectivity to stream entertainment, watch live sports, shop, work or game online from gate to gate aboard their flight. Starlink installation is actively underway across United’s mainline fleet and expected to be available fleetwide by the end of 2027.
- More than 800 planes equipped with Bluetooth audio-enabled seatback screens – the most of any airline – where passengers can enjoy more than 2,200 hours of industry-leading inflight entertainment, including award-winning movies, TV shows, music and podcasts from premium content partners such as Apple TV, HBO Max, Peacock, A24 and Spotify.
- Larger overhead bins with more room for every passenger’s rollaboard bag.
- Complimentary snacks and pre-order options for fresh onboard dining choices like burgers, sandwiches, snack boxes and more on united.com and in the United app, so customers can plan their meals ahead.
- Live boarding updates, real-time bag tracking and TSA wait times at U.S. hub airports and personalized turn-by-turn directions to connecting gates, estimated walk times and real-time flight updates including if United’s ConnectionSaver technology has been activated to hold a flight for customers making tight connections are available in the award-winning United app.
