Originally Posted by
prestonh
it is likely because UA staffs many of the EWR flights from other bases (MCO, IAH and others). so when those crews cannot get into EWR the flights cannot go. It is unclear to me why UA does not see this as an operational risk.
It's not just the base is it? Many EWR based FAs/pilots don't live in the NYC area either. Of course, it's technically their responsibility to make sure they can get to base on time, but if they don't then planes can't fly.
My understanding is that, in general, the NYC bases for airlines tend to have the highest percentage of remote FAs (perhaps pilots too but not sure) due to the cost of living. I'm not sure if this is true for United or not but it would not surprise me. (random side note: my parents live in Florida and an EWR based UA FA lives in their neighborhood).