'Read The Room': Frustrated Passengers Lash Out At FAA For Making Jokes Amid Mass Flight Cancelations, Delays The FAA is taking heat for a social media post that didn't land well.
By Emily Rella
An attempt at being cheeky by the Federal Aviation Agency on Twitter didn't exactly land with disgruntled customers.
On Tuesday, the FAA tweeted a timely joke using a photo from "Wheel of Fortune" that spelled out "unruly passengers," saying that there was "nothing puzzling about bad behavior on a flight."
There's nothing puzzling about bad behavior on a flight - it doesn't fly and can cost you big ? or jail time. https://t.co/zcyJ87SU5L #FlySmart @RyanSeacrest pic.twitter.com/oBZbMy8XAS
— The FAA ✈️ (@FAANews) June 27, 2023
The FAA then tagged Ryan Seacrest, who was named the new host of "Wheel of Fortune" earlier this week, in an attempt to be a part of the conversation.
However, social media users became agitated at the agency for making jokes amid a rough year of mass cancelations and delays. It's also an especially contentious time for travelers ahead of the holiday weekend, with some passengers already stranded in major hubs like Denver and New York due to storms and other issues.
Naturally, Twitter users expressed their frustration.
The FAA also reduced capacity at several major airports due to air traffic control staffing issues on top of inclement weather.
United Airlines was hit the hardest by these cancelations and disruptions, especially at its hub Newark Liberty International Airport, which prompted an email from United CEO Scott Kirby to employees earlier this week.
"The FAA reduced the arrival rates by 40 percent and the departure rates by 75 percent," the email said. "That is almost certainly a reflection of understaffing/lower experience at the FAA. It led to massive delays, cancellations, diversions, as well as crews and aircraft out of position. And that put everyone behind the eight ball when weather actually did hit on Sunday and was further compounded by FAA staffing shortages Sunday evening."
According to FlightAware, there were 8,330 delays and 769 cancellations within, into, or out of the U.S. on Thursday.
