Posts Tagged With: United Airlines

There are 6 articles tagged with “United Airlines” published on this site.


Boeing 777 United Airlines flying over amazing sunset 3D Illustration, 26 jul. 2022, Sao Paulo, Brazil.

 

Amidst the hullabaloo over its use of Boeing jets, United Airlines this week is rolling out two programs that reach out to its customers.

If you are the kind of flyer who checks every day to see if a better seat is available for your upcoming flight, you’re going to love the first one: United’s app as of March 22 will do the work for you. On selected flights, when you book a seat, a pop-up will ask if you’d like them to keep searching for a better one—perhaps on the aisle or in an exit row—and if so, will notify you if one becomes available.

For now, the program is being tested on particularly full flights in which only a few middle and back-of-plane seats are available. But if it proves successful, United hopes to roll it out across most of the fleet.

There are apps available that will do something similar, but United is the first airline to offer it to customers.

And all those currently booked in middle seats are cheering them on.

Also new is a change to the MileagePlus frequent flyer program that allows groups of up to five people to share miles.

MileagePlus members age 18 or older can invite up to four other members of any age to contribute miles into a pool that can be used to purchase tickets. There is no limit to how many miles can be contributed to the pool.

“We’re always looking for new ways to provide the most value to all of our loyalty members,” said MileagePlus chief operating officer Luc Bondar. “MileagePlus miles pooling further reinforces United’s position as the leader in family and group travel and gives our members more flexibility to use their miles, while making it easier to connect to the destinations and moments that matter most, with the people that matter most.”

United Upgrades First Class Domestic Seats

New first class seating on United Airlines flights.

 

Even as travelers debate whether or not it’s okay to lean your seat back, United Airlines is rolling out a new generation of first-class seats designed to recline—and also charge your phone with a Qi wireless charger in the armrest, and provide more privacy from your neighbor thanks to a large privacy screen.

The new vegan leather seats come with 13-inch seatback screens and 18-inch tray tables, plus AC and USB-C outlets in each seat, so passengers can charge three devices at once. The new 11×19-inch privacy screens are not retractable, however, making it hard for fearful fliers to grab their spouse’s arm.

United is in the midst of a fleet renewal, adding more than 90 new planes this year and 140 by the end of next. The new seats will debut on about 200 Boeing 737s and the new Airbus A321neo, beginning later this month and through 2025.

“This new United First seat is designed around the modern traveler—more charging options, bigger spaces for devices, food, drinks and personal items and extra privacy,” United’s Managing Director of Identity, Product and Loyalty Mark Muren said in a statement. “As we evolve the onboard experience, we’re upending old industry norms and anticipating future needs to accommodate the new ways people live and travel.”

Delta and JetBlue also are refreshing their planes’ interiors.

United Airlines Boeing 737-800

United Airlines (UAL) yesterday reported second-quarter 2022 financial results. The company achieved the highest second-quarter revenue in its history, delivering its first profitable quarter since COVID-19 began, despite record-high fuel prices. Read the rest of this entry »

United Airlines Aircraft

Updated May 17th 10:41 PM. United to resume service of 777 fleet pending final approval

United Airlines suspended seven of its long-haul flights in June citing a diminished number of aircraft resulting from the grounding of their Boeing 777’s after an engine disintegration showered a Denver community with debris.  Read the rest of this entry »

United Airlines

Starting this June, United will be the only U.S. carrier to offer nonstop service between Melbourne and the United States

United announced this week the return of its nonstop service between San Francisco and Melbourne, beginning with three weekly flights this June. The restart of this route complements United’s existing service between Sydney and the airline’s hubs in San Francisco and Los Angeles. United will now be the only U.S. airline to offer nonstop flights from the United States to Melbourne.

“The fact that we retained daily passenger service to Australia throughout the lowest points of the pandemic – and were the only airline to do so – shows our commitment to Australia,” said Patrick Quayle, senior vice president of international network and alliances at United. “We are thrilled to resume our San Francisco to Melbourne service and see a bright future ahead for United, for Melbourne, and for US-Australia travel.”

Since Australia announced in February that the country would open its borders to international travelers after being closed for nearly two years, there has been remarkable growth in travel demand from the U.S. United has more capacity from the United States to Australia than any other U.S. carrier, and the resumption of the airline’s San FranciscoMelbourne service will provide customers with even more access to Australia ahead of the busy summer travel period. Additionally, United’s recently announced commercial alliance with Virgin Australia will offer further connectivity to top Australian destinations with convenient one-stop flights.

United has worked closely with the Victorian government on the resumption of this service, as well as on broader plans for the market as demand continues to grow.

“We’re backing more direct international flights to Melbourne because we know the critical role they play in supporting Victorian businesses and creating jobs,” said Martin Pakula, Victorian Minister for Industry Support and Recovery. “Having more direct flights from the U.S. means it is even easier for visitors to come to Victoria and enjoy everything we are famous for – whether that’s our major sporting events, food scene, or cultural institutions.”

United began offering direct service to Melbourne from Los Angeles in 2014 and launched nonstop flights between San Francisco and Melbourne in October of 2019, prior to the onset of the pandemic.

United Airlines Increases Flights to Europe

United Airlines planes

United has announced that it will be increasing the number of flights it offers between the United States and Europe in response to increased demand for travel between the two continents with the resurgence in travel.

The airline is planning to raise trans-Atlantic capacity by 25 % this summer compared with 2019 despite rising fuel prices and the Ukraine crisis. According to Patrick Quayle, United’s senior vice president of the international network, it was the airline’s largest single transatlantic increase in history.

Bergen, Norway; Amman, Jordan; the Canary Islands, and Portugal’s Azores are among the new destinations announced by United Airlines. United is adding to its network of flights, including to London, Zurich, Munich, Milan, and Nice, France.

Also, United delayed three new routes — because of a pilot shortage.  The airline has been in a protracted contract dispute with its pilots. The pilots have been working without a contract since their last one expired at the end of 2012. The union has been in contract negotiations with the airline for more than two years and has been without a contract since the last one expired at the end of 2012.

Residual effects of the Covid-19 pandemic continue to create some reluctance for international travelers.  The US now requires a negative Covid test for all passengers traveling from Europe. “We are still in the midst of a pandemic, which has resulted in significant travel restrictions and reduced demand,” Quayle said. But as more people are vaccinated and case numbers fall in the US and Europe, the airline sees a “pent-up demand for travel.” “We are encouraged by the progress being made in the vaccination efforts in the U.S. and Europe,” Quayle said, “and we are hopeful that travel will continue to rebound as we approach the summer.”

Given these difficulties, Quayle says there has been no decrease in demand. However, he noted that there could impact demand for United’s partner Lufthansa’s flights to towns further east in nations like Poland and Romania. United is also seeing “strong” demand for more expensive products like its Polaris business class and premium economy class for trans-Atlantic flights.