Analysis: United rarely filled controversial Newark-South Carolina flight
Flights on a controversial United Airlines route that flew just twice a week between Newark Liberty and Columbia, S.C., averaged extraordinarily low passenger counts during much of its 19 month run.On average, the flights were less than half-full for 11 of those 19 months. And they were less than one-third full in six of those 19 months.
"This would suggest a seriously loss-making route, though without detailed fare and cost data this cannot be known for sure," according to an analysis by anna.aero, a website focusing on "airline network news and analysis."
Anna.aero came up with its monthly numbers for the route by analyzing publicly available airline traffic statistics compiled by the U.S. Department of Transportation. The data indicated the "load factors" – an industry measure of how full flights operate – on the route. United's Columbia-Newark route began in September 2012 and ended abruptly in March 2014.
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United's highest bookings during the route's 19-month run came in August 2013, when the flight operated with a 77.8% load factor. The lowest came in January 2013, when only 27.9% of United's seats on the route were filled, according to the anna.aero analysis. During the final three months, the load factors were just 38.3%, 32% and 45%, according to anna.aero. United's domestic average for most months during a comparable time period was above than 85%.
United's Newark-Columbia service, of course, is among the items being reviewed in a federal investigation probing alleged corruption at the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey that runs the Newark airport. The investigation led to the ouster of former United CEO Jeff Smisek and two other high-ranking airline officials.
Much attention has been focused on United's creation of an unusual route to Columbia, S.C., near the weekend home of the Port Authority's then-chairman, David Samson.
Prosecutors are examining whether the 50-seat flights were part of a scheme to entice the Port Authority to grant United its requests at the Newark facility. United ended the South Carolina route just three days after Samson resigned his Port Authority post amid a broader New Jersey corruption scandal.
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United's United Express affiliate SkyWest flew the Newark-Columbia route just twice a week, which anna.aero notes "was the only one at Columbia during the summer of 2013 that did not operate at least daily."
United's schedule for the route included a round-trip each Thursday evening as well a Sunday evening flight to Columbia with a Monday morning return to Newark. Such a schedule would have allowed someone to fly from Newark to South Carolina late Thursday and return to Newark on Monday morning after spending a weekend in South Carolina.
It was dubbed "The Chairman's Flight" by some industry observers on speculation that it was scheduled for the benefit of Samson.
Material from The Associated Press was used in this report.