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United has cut 35 daily flights at Newark amid

construction

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FAA to discuss temporary flight reductions at Newark

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United seeks to reassure customers on Newark flight safety

By David Shepardson

NEW YORK, May 13 (Reuters) - United Airlines on

Tuesday said it expects flight issues to ease at Newark Liberty

International Airport in the coming weeks as runway construction

concludes and the Federal Aviation Administration considers cuts

to the schedule.

The Chicago-based airline, which has borne the brunt of the

airport's recent chaos, also sought to reassure customers after

three telecommunications incidents involving Newark air traffic

have shaken public confidence. The airport is located about 9

miles (14.5 km) from Manhattan.

United shares were up 4% at $81.80 on Tuesday afternoon.

United said on May 2 it would begin canceling 35 flights a

day - or about 10% - at its Newark hub to take it to about 293

flights a day, down from its traditional amount of 440 flights a

day from Newark.

United's chief commercial officer, Andrew Nocella, told

reporters the airline may need to cut a few additional flights

at Newark and that it was not yet clear when it could resume

those 35 flights cancelled earlier this month.

Nocella emphasized that daily runway construction is set to

end on June 15. Earlier this spring, the airport had a better

on-time rate than other New York airports.

"This construction will be over in just a few short weeks

and we'll be back to on-time again," Nocella said.

Fewer passengers are booking at Newark because there is

currently less capacity there.

The FAA plans to hold a two-day meeting starting on

Wednesday on temporary flight reductions, a move United has

urged. Nocella said he expects the FAA will limit flights to 68

per hour, down from 77 per hour, at certain times at Newark.

"That is going to make sure that Newark is on-time," Nocella

said.

United on Monday sent emails to 3.7 million New York-area

customers and passengers with upcoming Newark flights, seeking

to ease their concerns about safety. "The truth is that all

these flights in and out of (Newark) are absolutely safe,"

United CEO Scott Kirby said in the email.

Kirby reiterated on Tuesday that he believes it is safe to

fly out of Newark. "It is and absolutely always will be safe,"

Kirby said.

He spoke at an event where United displayed upgraded

interiors for new Boeing 787-9 jets.

Low air traffic control staffing for Newark resulted in

average delays of more than two hours on Monday, with 25% of all

flights delayed and 87 canceled, according to data provider

FlightAware. Some flights were delayed by more than six hours.