When you see "news" stories like this from the Wall Street Journal  Monday, Or, like the one below , It is from 2023.  They are incorrect because climate  doesn't delay anything. It is  weather,  on a given day, which causes delays -- something United frequently "fibs" about (see here and here for just two examples).  United isn't the only one, the Financial Times  published an article a few years ago about companies that blame weather for poor earnings results.  There is little evidence that storms have gotten worse, although some believe they will in the future.  I expect more and more companies to Dilbert's approach. 

From a story about the airline mess in the U.S. version of The Daily Mail : There was much less adverse weather yesterday than normal for the time of year. This is one of United's famous "airline lies." I covered this highly unfortunate aspect of United's culture here . It is one of the most-read pieces in the history of this blog.  The reason United does this is because, if it is 'weather,' they -- by regulation -- don'[t have to do anything for you. 

This morning I had an enjoyable time giving a speech to the Pennsylvania League of Municipalities and Cities at their annual meeting in Pittsburgh. After, I headed to the airport to fly to Chicago, change planes, and then on to Wichita. Unfortunately, both of these flights involved the notorious Concourse F at O'Hare ("where the fall of Saigon is reenacted daily"*). As always, United flight 5545 to Wichita showed up as "on time" on the monitor. So, even knowing (based on past experience) there was an excellent chance there would be an unadvertised delay, I headed for the gate in order to arrive about ten minutes before the scheduled time for boarding. No airplane was present. I asked the gate agent if the plane that was going to take us to Wichita was on the ground. If the incoming flight was late, I'd resume doing the work I interrupted to go to the gate. Agent: The flight to Wichita will be on time. Me: That is not what I asked. I would like to k...