As thousands get stranded in airports this July 4th weekend, the FAA and United Airlines are pointing fingers at each other for the numerous delays and cancellations.
As the Fourth of July Weekend comes in full swing and passengers in US airports have been greeted with canceled or delayed flights, a joke from the Federal Aviation Administration's Twitter account about unruly passengers did not help stranded and frustrated passengers.
The FAA tweeted Tuesday afternoon (June 27) a meme depicting a Wheel of Fortune puzzle spelling out "unruly passengers."
"There's nothing puzzling about bad behavior on a flight - it doesn't fly and can cost you big [money] or jail time," the FAA tweeted.
Several passengers have aired their disappointment with the FAA for taking light of a potentially bad situation.
A Denver International Airport passenger named Corinne told Fox News of her disappointment with the FAA's tweet. "They're tweeting while people are losing money, losing wages," she added.
Debby, a stranded Iceland-bound passenger in Denver, also called the FAA out by [getting their] act together. "They should be helping us, not making fun of us," she said. "[It j]ust seems like they could be better organized."
The FAA did not respond to Fox News regarding its comment about the tweet.
July 4th Weekend Flight Delays
According to airline tracker Flight Aware, more than 9,000 flights have been canceled and another nearly 116,000 delayed since Monday (June 26), with United Airlines alone making up 500 cancellations at Denver, one of the world's busiest airports in the world.
Janette, who was traveling to New Orleans, blamed the airlines themselves for not allowing her to find an alternative flight after her initial one was canceled. "I think they are overbooking and not taking the time to consider the customers," she said.
She ultimately decided to abandon her cruise vacation.
Meanwhile, Amy's flight was rescheduled six times, but her flight was ultimately canceled in the middle of the night, causing her to not fly to Syracuse for her aunt's memorial. Her bags were also lost.
"All my family is there, and we can't get there," she said.
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United Slams FAA for Cancellations
United Airlines blamed its cancellations on weather and the FAA's staffing constraints. In a statement, the airline said conditions are improving as they have "all hands on deck" to fix the situation, hoping it could be "on track to restore" operations for the holiday weekend.
The FAA denied the claim.
In a memo to staff, United CEO Scott Kirby accused the FAA of failing them, highlighting that the agency reduced arrival rates at Newark Liberty International Airport, one of United's hubs. The FAA responded by telling Fox News they would "always collaborate with anyone seriously willing to join us to solve a problem."
"With the exception of United, airlines have recovered to a more typical cancellation/delay rate as of this morning, after the severe weather earlier this week," Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg tweeted Thursday.
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