letter<\/a> is below.<\/p>\nDear Mr. Kirby:<\/p>\n
I write to express my concern about United Airlines\u2019 recent decision to eliminate nonstop service between Newark Liberty International Airport (EWR) and Jorge Ch\u00e1vez International Airport (LIM) in Lima, Peru. Ending this longstanding route would have a serious impact on New Jersey communities that rely on direct service to Peru, while potentially leaving travelers with fewer choices and higher costs.<\/p>\n
New Jersey has deep-rooted ties with Peru, with roughly 95,000 people of Peruvian origin living in the state, the third largest Peruvian population in the country. New Jersey\u2019s Ninth Congressional District, and Paterson in particular, is home to one of the largest Peruvian communities in the United States. At the heart of this community is Paterson\u2019s \u201cLittle Lima,\u201d which is full of Peruvian bakeries, salons, restaurants, and other businesses. These ties led Paterson to establish \u201csister city\u201d partnerships with Machu Picchu and the Municipality of Lurigancho-Chosica in 2024 and 2025, respectively. For decades, our local community members have also worked to strengthen ties between Peru and the United States and rallied to support Peru in times of crisis, including the devastating 2007 earthquake.\u00a0<\/p>\n
For over 30 years, United Airlines and its predecessor Continental Airlines have maintained direct service between Newark and Lima. This route is far more than a convenience. It connects New Jersey families with loved ones in Peru and supports business, tourism, and trade between our two countries. Eliminating it would force many travelers to take connecting flights or travel to other airports, adding time and expense to trips that are already prohibitively expensive.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I recognize that rising fuel prices have created new challenges for the airline industry this year. United Airlines must make business decisions that reflect fast-changing market conditions. However, United has also reported increased revenues and strong passenger demand while announcing plans to expand its network. Given the company\u2019s strong business performance over the last two quarters, United Airlines should provide greater clarity about when a long-established route serving a major New Jersey community is being eliminated. This is particularly true given that United has told investors that it expects to recover 100% of higher fuel cost by the fourth quarter.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The decision to eliminate the non-stop Newark-Lima route comes as United Airlines is announcing new routes to destinations in Luxemburg, Slovenia, France, and elsewhere. This growth is exciting for travelers, but new service should not come at the expense of a route that has served New Jersey\u2019s Peruvian community for decades, particularly when the Newark-Lima route has continued to see strong demand and frequently full flights. United Airlines should be able to expand its network without leaving behind communities that have relied on established routes for decades.<\/p>\n
Given the impact this decision would have for New Jersey\u2019s Peruvian community and for travelers across the Tristate area, I am asking United Airlines to pause its plan to eliminate the Newark\u2013Lima route and consider alternatives that could preserve direct service, including operating the route on a reduced schedule.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I appreciate your prompt attention to this matter and would welcome the opportunity to meet with you, along with representatives of our large Peruvian community, to discuss this decision and explore ways to preserve direct service between Newark and Lima. I hope we can work together toward a solution that keeps this important connection in place.<\/p>\n
Sincerely,<\/p>\n
###<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Congresswoman Pou Calls on United to Save Nonstop Newark\u2192Lima Flights Urges airline to pause cancellation of 30-year route…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":346627,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[39],"tags":[9,24,63,134,136,135],"class_list":["post-346626","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-staten-island","tag-new-york","tag-new-york-city","tag-nyc","tag-staten-island","tag-staten-island-headlines","tag-staten-island-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/346626","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=346626"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/346626\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/346627"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=346626"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=346626"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=346626"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}