United Airlines announced Tuesday that its CEO and two other senior executives have left the company in the midst of a federal corruption investigation. The U.S. Attorney for New Jersey is investigating whether United tried to improperly influence officials at the Port Authority in exchange for lower operating costs at Newark Liberty Airport. In 2011, United seemingly created a new Thursday flight from Newark to Columbia, South Carolina, to allow then-Port Authority chief David Samson to easily go to his vacation home in the South. “The departures announced today are in connection with the company’s previously disclosed internal investigation related to the federal investigation associated with the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey,” United said in a statement.
Correction: A previous version of this report incorrectly said United Airlines created a new flight from Charlotte, North Carolina, to Newark.