tagged w/ United Airlines
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The scene was apparently bedlam at airports in cities across the country last night as United Airlines' computer system totally failed, leaving thousands of flyers stranded for hours. So what the hell happened?
The airline called the problem a "network connectivity issue," already in the midst of trying to resolve the issue. If that sounds vague, I'm with you. It was a serious one at that, knocking out their departures, processing, and reservations systems. Anxious passengers were left trapped on grounded planes, stuck in lines, and sitting in lobbies at airports in major cities like New York, Detroit, and Los Angeles. By 2 AM, United's tech team had started to resolve the malfunction, allowing people to reach their destinations.
No statement has been made at to why United's computer system's failed, but they have been gracious enough to allow affected passengers to rebook their flights without penalties.
It just leaves one to wonder: What could cause a malfunction of this size to affect such a major airline? Hackers again?The scene was apparently bedlam at airports in cities across the country last night as... more
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Computer glitch disrupts United Airlines flights
http://www.cnn.com/2011/US/06/17/united.flight.disruption/index.html?hpt=hp_t1
CNN...
Computer glitch disrupts United Airlines flights
By the CNN Wire Staff
June 18, 2011 12:27 a.m. EDT
STORY HIGHLIGHTS
Computer outage shuts down departures, reservation system
United Airlines said it is working to repair the problem
(CNN) -- A computer problem has caused a disruption with the departure of United Airlines planes Friday night, the airline said.
The Chicago-based airline said a computer outage at 7:15 p.m. CT interrupted United Airlines' systems of scheduled departures, reservations and processing systems.
"Our technology team is working to resolve the issue as soon as possible. We apologize for the disruption being caused to travelers at affected airports and we are seeking to resume operations as quickly as possible," a company spokesman said.
Karen Pride of the Chicago Department of Aviation told CNN the agency is providing extra security personnel and terminal management staff to assist United with the situation at O'Hare International Airport.
Michael Goldenthal, who was on an airplane at O'Hare when the problem occurred, said it became apparent something was wrong as the flight was taxiing.
"We were on the runway when the pilot came on the P.A. and said they had lost contact with the company computer system which measured the weight of the plane. "
Goldenthal said the aircraft taxied around for nearly an hour and then returned to the gate for additional fuel. But passengers were not allowed to get off.
The flight crew told passengers, Goldenthal said, that "the computer system was down not only in Chicago but across the system."
CNN's Greg Morrison contributed to this report
http://i2.cdn.turner.com/cnn/2011/US/06/17/united.flight.disruption/t1main.united.afp.gi.jpgComputer glitch disrupts United Airlines flights... more
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A random roundup of humorous, odd, weird, funny, stupid, and WTF articles. This week, believe it or not: exploding watermelons, UFOs, a BB sniper, the Human Ashtray, Glade Ass Plugs, a Brazilian woman who can rub one out at the office while watching porn, a Jesus fishstick, the Handjob Bot, Victoria Beckham as a sperm, and Vladimir Putin is actually St. Paul.A random roundup of humorous, odd, weird, funny, stupid, and WTF articles. This week,... more
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Tokyo is a city of Japan, and it has two international airports and Narita airport is one of them. Narita Airport is situated 57.5 km in the east of Tokyo Station and Narita Station is 7 km way from the Narita Station in Narita city.
This airport controls the visitor or the passengers of the Japan which want to move inside and outside of the Japan. It the busiest airport in Japan and it is second in terms of travelers in Japan and 8th in the world.Tokyo is a city of Japan, and it has two international airports and Narita airport is... more
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Can’t wait to update your Facebook status even when you’re 30,000 feet in the air? You’re in luck; several airlines have teamed up with Gogo Inflight Internet and Ford to offer free in-flight Facebook access throughout the month of February.Can’t wait to update your Facebook status even when you’re 30,000 feet in... more
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VANCOUVER (CBC) - A blind woman from Vancouver Island is not sure she'll ever fly alone again after she was forgotten by flight attendants and locked in a deserted plane at Chicago's O'Hare Airport.
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Jessica Cabot, of Courtenay, B.C., was on a United Airlines flight from Vancouver to Jacksonville, Fla., April 7 to join her fiancé when the plane made a scheduled stop in Chicago before dawn.
She was then supposed to be guided to her connecting flight to Florida.
The 18-year-old was born blind and this was her third time flying by herself, so she thought she was familiar with some of the routines.
"I was instructed by the flight attendant to wait until everybody else got off the plane," said Cabot, 18, in an interview with CBC News from Jacksonville.
"That's what they tell me every time so I didn't think anything of it."
She said she heard the other passengers leave and then the unmistakable sound of the aircraft door being sealed shut.
"And then, just complete silence. And I started calling out with no response."
That's when she realized she was alone, she said. She had no idea how to open the plane's door or whether that would be a safe thing to do.
She said she was stuck for 10 minutes, uncertain what to do, but was found by a maintenance crew that happened to enter the aircraft.
"They didn't have to be there," Cabot said. "If they hadn't, I would have been there for a very long time."
"She was terrified, she didn't know what to do," said her mother, Christine Skerratt, in Courtenay, who spoke with her daughter on the phone shortly after.
Cabot did eventually make her connecting flight to Florida.
Her family complained about the incident to United Airlines, which gave Cabot a $250 voucher for future travel.
The airline declined a request for an interview but sent a statement.
"We apologized to Ms. Cabot for the delay in providing her an escort, and have taken action with our employees and vendors at O'Hare to ensure this does not happen again," the statement said.VANCOUVER (CBC) - A blind woman from Vancouver Island is not sure she'll ever fly... more
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Two U.S.-based airlines, United and Continental, are merging in a $3-billion deal creating the world's largest airline.
The combined firm will have nearly 700 planes, 88,000 workers, and fly to 370 destinations in 59 nations.
The company will be called United Airlines. Continental's chief executive, Jeff Smisek, will be the CEO of the combined company, and United's boss, Glenn Tilton, will be the chairman.
The boards of both companies approved the merger Sunday, but the deal also needs approval by the firms' unions and will be examined by U.S. antitrust (Compton) regulators.
MORE---
http://www1.voanews.com/english/news/economy-and-business/United-Continental-Airlines-to-Merge-92664489.htmlTwo U.S.-based airlines, United and Continental, are merging in a $3-billion deal... more
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A passenger was subdued by a federal air marshal during an incident aboard an airliner flying from Washington to Denver on Wednesday night, sources told NBC News.
Federal authorities say a disturbance aboard a United Airlines flight from Washington to Denver, Colorado, Wednesday night occurred when a passenger apparently tried to set a shoe on fire.
The passenger may have said he was putting out a cigarette on his shoe.
United Flight 663, a Boeing 757 with 157 passengers and six crew members aboard, landed safely at Denver International Airport, airline and airport officials said.
More: http://www.cnn.com/2010/CRIME/04/07/us.airliner.disturbance/index.html?hpt=T1A passenger was subdued by a federal air marshal during an incident aboard an airliner... more
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A Canadian musician who accused United Airlines of breaking his prized guitar has taken his revenge, writing a song that has become a hit on YouTube and a public relations disaster for the airline. The musician had asked for compensation to help fix the $3000 instrument, they didn't play ball and so he wrote a song which has caused the airlines shares to drop 10 percent of their share value ...A massive $180millionA Canadian musician who accused United Airlines of breaking his prized guitar has... more
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Fluk3
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2 years ago
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Canadian folk singer Dave Carroll was pissed off with United Airlines for breaking his guitar when he flew with them.
After getting the runaround from the airline about the $1200 in damages caused to his band's equipment by baggage handlers, he recorded a song and video called 'United Breaks Guitars' and posted it on YouTube.
The video has quickly become a smash on YouTube. There must be a lot of people out there with a lot of damaged suitcases.Canadian folk singer Dave Carroll was pissed off with United Airlines for breaking his... more
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"In the spring of 2008, Sons of Maxwell were traveling to Nebraska for a one-week tour and my Taylor guitar was witnessed being thrown by United Airlines baggage handlers in Chicago. I discovered later that the $3500 guitar was severely damaged. They didnt deny the experience occurred but for nine months the various people I communicated with put the responsibility for dealing with the damage on everyone other than themselves and finally said they would do nothing to compensate me for my loss. So I promised the last person to finally say no to compensation (Ms. Irlweg) that I would write and produce three songs about my experience with United Airlines and make videos for each to be viewed online by anyone in the world."
Full story at: http://www.davecarrollmusic.com/story/united-breaks-guitars/"In the spring of 2008, Sons of Maxwell were traveling to Nebraska for a one-week... more
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A husband and wife are suing United Airlines for "negligently" over serving alcohol during a flight from Osaka, Japan, to San Francisco, saying the carrier's drinks fueled the domestic violence involving the two shortly after their plane landed.A husband and wife are suing United Airlines for "negligently" over serving... more
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An airline crew used duct tape to keep a passenger in her seat because they say she became unruly, fighting flight attendants and grabbing other passengers, forcing the flight to land in North Carolina.
Maria Esther Castillo of Oswego, N.Y., is due in court Thursday, charged with resisting arrest and interfering with the operations of a flight crew aboard United Airlines Flight 645, from Puerto Rico to Chicago.
Castillo, 45, struck a flight attendant on the buttocks with the back of her hand during Saturday's flight, FBI Special Agent Peter Carricato said in a criminal complaint filed in U.S. District Court in Charlotte.
She also stood and fell onto the head of a blind passenger and later started pulling the person's hair, the complaint stated.
Ankle cuffs kept slipping off Castillo, so the flight crew and two passengers were forced to use duct tape to keep her in her seat, the complaint states.
She calmed as the pilot diverted the flight to Charlotte/Douglas International Airport, but became disruptive again when authorities boarded the plane to remove her, authorities said.
Carricato states that a passenger saw Castillo having drinks in an airport bar before boarding.
She bought another drink on the plane. Flight attendants stopped serving her alcohol because of her behavior, the complaint states.
United spokesman Jeff Kovick said Wednesday that safety during air travel is the company's top priority and that it's cooperating with authorities.
FBI spokeswoman Amy Thoreson on Wednesday declined to comment on the ongoing investigation.
A message left seeking comment wasn't immediately returned by Castillo's attorney, Julia Mimms.An airline crew used duct tape to keep a passenger in her seat because they say she... more
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An airline crew used duct tape to keep an upstate woman in her seat after she allegedly slapped a flight attendant on the buttocks and yanked a blind passenger's hair.
Maria Esther Castillo, 45, of Oswego, has been charged with interfering with a flight crew Saturday aboard a United Airlines flight from Puerto Rico to Chicago.
She was arrested after the crew diverted the plane to Charlotte, NC.
FBI Special Agent Peter Carricato said in a criminal complaint filed in Charlotte that a passenger saw Castillo having drinks in an airport bar before she boarded and that she bought another drink on the plane.
One passenger told cops that Castillo called her a "bitch" and hit her on the arm, the Charlotte Observer reported.
Castillo allegedly struck a flight attendant on the buttocks and at one point stood and fell onto the head of a blind passenger - and started pulling her hair.
The crew resorted to duct tape to keep her in her seat.
An airline crew used duct tape to keep an upstate woman in her seat after she... more
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A 44-year-old pilot was arrested at Heathrow just minutes before he was due to fly to San Francisco.
The United Airlines pilot was suspected of being drunk, despite the airline's drinking policy being one of the strictest in the industry.
A 44-year-old pilot was arrested at Heathrow just minutes before he was due to fly to... more
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ClareW
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3 years ago
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As America tunes into the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games, United will debut five commercials that capture the spirit of how relaxing and rewarding international travel is when flying in United's new first and business class cabins.
United's new commercials celebrate the ongoing rollout of its new international service that provides customers with flat-bed seats in first and business class, on-demand entertainment and gourmet cuisine. The ads are the latest addition to United's "It's Time to Fly" campaign that makes distinct emotional connections between United and business travelers - specifically those in international first and business class.
Created by artists from around the world, including South Africa and India, each of the six spots paints a picture of optimism and exploration using unique artistic forms such as shed bird feathers, colored sand and plastic modeling clay on glass. Custom scores of George Gershwin's Rhapsody in Blue were performed by members of the L.A. Philharmonic Symphony and in one of the ads, Grammy award-winning American jazz legend, Herbie Hancock, and the classical world-renowned Chinese concert pianist, Lang Lang, who is performing live during the opening ceremonies, played a piano duet. The voiceover tag line is read by Robert Redford.
"Unveiling new ads during the Summer Olympics provides us with a high-profile, worldwide stage to effectively showcase the comforts of our new international first and business class service," said Dennis Cary, senior vice president - Marketing. "As we roll out our new international premium travel experience, now is the optimal time to demonstrate to the global traveler that we understand how vastly important a truly lie-flat bed in both first and business class is to feeling relaxed and rewarded."
The following 60-second and 30-second spots will air on NBC nationally and locally in Chicago, San Francisco and Washington, D.C., during the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games. United's "Sea Orchestra" commercial will debut nationally and locally during the Opening Ceremonies:
-- "Sea Orchestra" (60 seconds)
-- "Heart" (60-seconds)
-- "Two Worlds" (60 seconds)
-- Moondust (60 seconds and 30 second)
-- Butterfly (30 seconds)
United's new commercials are the first spots that have been created by its new ad agency, BD'M, whose two founding partners -- Bob Barrie and Stuart D'Rozario -- were instrumental in the creation of the "It's Time to Fly" campaign in 2005. The campaign has earned the Gold Effie Award for marketing effectiveness and was nominated for an Emmy Award.
As an Official Airline Sponsor of the 2008 U.S. Olympic Team, United has been flying America's team for 28 years.As America tunes into the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games, United will debut five... more
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True story! Ticks were found on a plane!
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United Airlines and US Airways have joined American Airlines in charging passengers to check bags on certain flights.
Citing higher fuel prices, United Airlines said Thursday it will begin charging domestic passengers $15 each way for one checked bag.
The Chicago, Illinois-based airline said the fee to check a second bag will be $25 each way. The fee to check three or more bags, overweight bags or "items that require special handling" will increase from $100 to $125 or from $200 to $250, depending on the item, United said in a statement.
The $15 charge will apply to customers who purchase a ticket on or after Friday for travel within the United States, and who buy on or after August 18 a ticket to or from Canada, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands.
The $15 service fee will not apply to customers flying in United First or United Business or who have premier status with United or Star Alliance airline network, the carrier said.
For itineraries that include international flights (except Canada), checking a first and second bag will continue to be free, United said. The cost to check more than two bags or items that are overweight or require special handling varies by destination.
US Airways, meanwhile, said it will begin charging passengers $15 for their first checked bag for travel on or after July 9. The airline said it also has recently started charging passengers $25 for second checked bags. The new policy applies to flights in the United States as well as flights to and from Canada, Latin America and the Caribbean.
Some airlines have been adding fees to once-free benefits, such as snacks. Despite this cost-cutting, airlines are finding it harder to survive as they get squeezed by soaring fuel costs.
"With record-breaking fuel prices, we must pursue new revenue opportunities while continuing to offer competitive fares, by tailoring our products and services around what our customers value most and are willing to pay for," said John Tague, United's executive vice president and chief operating officer.
United said it estimates that the $15 fee will apply to one out of three customers, and the potential revenue from baggage handling service fees, including those for checking a first and second bag, will be approximately $275 million a year.
The move comes a month after American Airlines announced a $15 service charge for the first checked bag.
Delta, Continental and Northwest told CNN they are not charging for passengers' first checked bags. However, a spokesman for Northwest said the airline is well aware of changes in the industry.
"We are always keeping an eye on what our competitors are doing," the spokesman said.United Airlines and US Airways have joined American Airlines in charging passengers to... more
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kushan
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3 years ago
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UAL Corp.'s United Airlines, the world's second-largest carrier, will shut its low-fare Ted airline, ground 70 planes and cut as many as 1,100 jobs to help counter record fuel costs.
United's second round of cutbacks in two months follows a 76 percent surge in jet fuel prices in the past year that will add $3 billion to its spending for fuel. AMR Corp.'s American Airlines, the world's biggest carrier, and Delta Air Lines Inc. also are paring their domestic seating capacity.
``These are very aggressive domestic capacity and cost cuts,'' Calyon Securities analyst Ray Neidl in New York said in an interview. ``If oil stays at $130 or $120 a barrel, I expect you'll see additional big cuts announced by airlines as we move through the year. Basically, you need over 20 percent of capacity taken out of the domestic market.''
United's reductions will take place this year and next, adding to the 30 planes taken out of service and 500 management job cuts announced in April. Chicago-based United said today in a statement that it's scaling back international flights, which have been profitable. United's main jet fleet has 460 planes.
Airlines' efforts to cover fuel costs with fare increases and new baggage-check fees have fallen short, leading JPMorgan Chase & Co. analyst Jamie Baker to estimate that the U.S. industry's losses will top $7.2 billion this year.
Worst 2008 Performer
UAL gained 42 cents, or 4.9 percent, to $8.95 at 10:26 a.m. New York time in Nasdaq Stock Market composite trading. The company has tumbled 76 percent this year, making it the worst performer among 14 carriers in the Bloomberg U.S. Airlines Index.
``United's move is a necessity in the face of high fuel costs and should significantly improve the company's pricing power and lower costs,'' said Douglas Runte, managing director at RBS Greenwich Capital in Greenwich, Connecticut.
UAL Corp.'s United Airlines, the world's second-largest carrier, will shut... more
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United Airlines will be cutting over 1,100 jobs, and grounding over 94 flights. The primary reason is the high price of gasoline, which peaked at $135 a barrel last week. The carrier will cut mainline domestic capacity by 17 to 18 percent in 2009, while also scaling back international capacity by 4 to 5 percent. They will also charge $15 for a passengers first checked bag.United Airlines will be cutting over 1,100 jobs, and grounding over 94 flights. The... more
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