Travel commerce platform Travelport has said that that United Airlines will continue its long-standing relationship with the former into 2021 as part of a multi-year agreement. Both companies will continue to work together to enhance the delivery of United’s product offering, including ancillaries and fare families, to agencies and corporations through Travelport’s traditional ATPCO and API platforms, including deployment of the airline content made available consistent with IATA’s New Distribution Capability (NDC) standard.
United has benefited already from Travelport’s Rich Content and Branding merchandising solution by differentiating its offerings and dynamically distributing content across the globe. This tool allows customers to easily compare airline offerings and take advantage of United’s comprehensive route network and improved customer experience.
“I’m delighted to announce that our relationship with United has been extended for a multi-year term. United has seen great success with our Rich Content and Branding solution and extended global reach,� said Damian Hickey, Travelport’s Global Head of Air Travel Partners. “We look forward to supporting United’s growth, its dedication to providing better experiences for agencies and travelers worldwide and pioneering NDC solutions.�
“While direct volumes through our award-winning website and mobile app continue to grow, we want to be available across a variety of booking channels, and collaborating with Travelport helps us do that,� said Dave Bartels, Vice President of Pricing and Revenue Management, United Airlines. “United is excited to be working together with Travelport on our NDC initiative to provide tailored content to our customers through the Travelport subscriber network, which will allow customers to better customize their travel with different amenities and experiences.�
United Airlines announced a design contest, “Her Art Here,” that gives female artists the chance to design a mural for a Boeing 757 in honor of Women’s History Month, according to a news release.
To enter, individuals identifying as a woman, including cisgender, transgender, woman-aligned or nonbinary people, are asked to submit a design online that represents either New York/New Jersey or California — two of United’s biggest markets. The brand has asked that the designs reflect its mission and what the communities mean to the artist. Two winners, one from each region, will get to work with the artist Shantell Martin on a finalized design. Martin’s murals showcasing an interactive airplane window with videos will also be on display in New York and Los Angeles as part of the competition.
Submissions will be judged by a panel from each region, led by United’s regional presidents in those areas, and the public will get to vote for their favorites. Finalists and winners will receive an open gallery show, have their work displayed in United terminals and available for purchase, and win 100,000 MileagePlus award miles. The aircraft with the winning designs will take flight this fall.
Dive Insight:
United Airlines is using “Her Art Here” to highlight its commitment to gender equality and raising awareness about women’s underrepresentation in the art world. The campaign was inspired by statistics from the National Museum of Women in the Arts revealing that 51% of artists are women, but less than 13% of art on display in museums is by women. The contest will give the winners the chance to show off their work on aircraft that will fly an average of 1.6 million miles a year and make about 476 cross-country trips, according to United.
More brands are tying their marketing strategies around support for up-and-coming and underrepresented creatives. PepsiCo’s LifeWTR ran a similar packaging campaign two years ago based on research that 51% of visual artists are women, but that women make up less than 5% of all permanent collections in museums. Fender also just launched a “Fender Next” platform that plans to feature 50 new artists from around the world. The program was inspired by internal research showing that women make up half of all new guitar players, African Americans account for 19% and Latinos for 25%.
United celebrating Women’s History Month is part of the airline’s ongoing efforts to build an emotional connection with consumers, who more frequently want brands to support gender inclusion, positivity and empowerment. United has had its share of bad publicity over the past couple of years, including a passenger being dragged off a flight after it was overbooked in 2017, which led consumers to call out the brand on social media.The death of a puppy on board a flight last year increased negative sentiment on social media for United 140% in the two days following the news, according to a Digimind analysis.
United has started to see a turnaround, however. The company showed the biggest improvement in consumer perception from 2017 to 2018, according to YouGov, with a 9.6-point increase to a -3.5 score on the firm’s annual Buzz rankings. The report examines whether consumers have heard anything negative or positive about a brand over the past two weeks, and is based on a scale from -100 to +100 points.
PHOENIX — A United Airlines flight that was heading to Houston from Las Vegas made an emergency landing in Phoenix on Tuesday due to a mechanical problem.
A spokesperson for the airline told KTAR News 92.3 FM in an email that flight 2276 made a safe landing and customers were able to deplane normally. There were no injuries reported.
“We are working to get our customers to their final destination as soon as possible,” the statement read.
Federal Aviation Administration spokesman Ian Gregor told KTAR News the Boeing 737 landed at Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport around 8:10 a.m.
Airport spokesman Gregory E. Roybal told KTAR News that the emergency landing did not affect other flights.
According to FlightAware, the aircraft was set to take off from Sky Harbor to Houston around 10 a.m.
What does it mean when an airline makes a $1.3 billion investment and immediately dumps a large portion of it in the garbage? A recent move by United Airlines to purchase brand new 76 seat regional jets but only use two-thirds of the seating capacity raises just that question. It’s a story that might not close with the airline on top – if you pay attention to factors like historical precedent.
United ushered in 2019 by touting a new era of premium luxury for customers. The airline backed up the claim this month by kitting out a new fleet of regional jets in style, with ten first-class seats, 20 extra -leg- room economy plus seats, and only 20 regular coach class seats in the back. In addition, each aircraft will have a snack station and four California-sized closets.
United’s move and artful communications strategy might make you think that the focus is on you, the beloved customer. It might be. But it bears another look. As one former United executive said to me years ago, “I’ve never met a closet who bought a ticket.” In other words: if you have an expensive asset, use it to maximum advantage.
This aircraft, to be certified as the CRJ550, will be a new variant of Bombardier’s CRJ-700 series aircraft. Unlike the 70-to-76-seat CRJ-700, however, these aircraft will be modified to carry just 50 passengers and to weigh in under 75,000 pounds. The numbers might not mean much to customers, but they are magic for United.
The major airlines and their pilots have negotiated for years how many aircraft may be operated by so-called “regional” airlines. It matters greatly to the pilots unions, since starting salaries at the regional airlines can be as low as $30,000, less than half of typical pay at the Majors. Unsurprisingly, airline management would like regional airlines to fly more and larger jets. The pilots would like to see all but the smallest aircraft flown by the better-paid mainline pilots.
So far, there is no clear winner of the slow-motion sparring match.
Under the current contract, United has agreed to a “scope clause” that allows no more than 255 of the larger regional jets (70-76 seats) to be farmed out to the minor league. In this context, United’s new de-rated 76-seaters will masquerade as 50-seaters by the contract terms, allowing them to be operated by cheaper crews. For context, purpose-built 50-seat RJs are no longer manufactured, having fallen out of favor when fuel prices spiked eleven years ago.
The CRJ550 may therefore be more of a chess move by United. On the one hand, it shows that United recognizes that labor will have the upper hand in the next round of contract negotiations, which has already started. Globally, the supply of pilots has been tightening for several years, pinched by rapid growth at Middle East and Asian airlines and regulatory changes in the U.S., among other factors. In the last round of negotiations, U.S. pilots scored pay raises of 18-23% at the Majors, and over 40% at Spirit and Hawaiian. United knows it will not achieve any relief from its current scope clauses in this round.
At the same time, the maneuver signals to pilots that United is not going to roll over. In a draw from Economics textbook chapters on game theory, the company is showing that it is effectively prepared to burn money rather than give in to labor. After all, United could have chosen to operate these routes with 126-seat mainline narrowbodies instead, perhaps scaling back the number of departures per day to match the number of total seats. Instead, United is prepared to throw away part of each new plane to show the pilots’ union that it has options.
In a similar game, American purchased a special variant of the common 50-seat Embraer regional jet to skirt scope clauses in the late 1990s. With only 37 seats, the Embraer 135 allowed American to increase the number of aircraft that could be subcontracted to its regional partner. Like most shortened aircraft variants, this model had higher costs per seat-mile than the more common 50-seater and American retired them early, though they are still in use at some other airlines.
There is also precedent for under-configuring aircraft. In 2000, American Airlines outfitted a fleet of Fokker 100s with just 56 seats to combat the upstart Legend Airlines. American’s normal Fokker 100s carried 87 seats. At the time, flights out of Dallas Love Field with over 56 seats were limited to Texas’ seven neighboring states under the Wright Amendment. Upsetting the status quo, Legend launched with an exclusive new terminal and 56-seat aircraft to establish a new market. American, feeling a threat to its hub at nearby Dallas Fort Worth, fought back hard both in the courtroom and at the airport. Legend capitulated in eight months.
Another case was Midwest Express Airlines. This outgrowth of Kimberly Clark’s corporate flight department operated luxurious two-by-two seating on a fleet of DC-9s (normally with two-by-three seating) out of Milwaukee in the 1980s and 90s. Midwest’s proposition was business class service at coach prices. The airline regularly obtained a fare premium over its competitors of 20 to 30 percent. Alas, what Northwest Airlines, Airtran and other competitors ultimately proved was that Midwest’s fare premium was a result of offering the only nonstop service on business-oriented routes rather than a product passengers were willing to pay extra for. Once it faced new nonstop competition, Midwest was quickly forced to add seats to its planes and reduce fares. The airline did not survive, eventually being merged with the ultra low cost carrier Frontier Airlines.
Also in the early 2000s, several entrepreneurs attempted to offer all-business-class service across the Atlantic, using less than half the potential capacity of Boeing 767s and 757s. These airlines, with names like MAXJet and EOS may be hard to remember because they did not last long. In the end, incumbents had better access to corporate customers for the front of the cabin, and extra revenue from economy passengers in the back. Putting 48 seats on a plane built for 185 (EOS’ 757-200s) gives you less flexibility in the market and fewer ways to earn revenue.
There are many examples of airlines under-configuring aircraft for strategic reasons. Each case seems like a good idea at the time. Some have even been good ideas over the long term, such as JetBlue’s decision in 2006 to reduce its all-coach A320s to just 150 seats from 156, obviating the need for a fourth flight attendant—although even JetBlue is currently in the process of reconfiguring its A320s with thinner slimline seats to bring the seat count up to 162. Outside that modest range, however, low-density aircraft have often been short-lived. A $40-million asset — or even more — is a costly way to make your point, whether signaling to competitors or tweaking labor.
As a customer, I hope United’s new bet is successful. After all, the trend toward higher density aircraft adds stress for all of us, even if we’re lucky in enough to sit in the front today. All the same, history is not on United’s side for this one – and it might not be until closets become paying customers.
Marcus DeGruttola says United Airlines’ mistake didn’t just cost him $1,550. It also left him and his wife, Holly, stuck in Africa. He needs some help unraveling a very complicated case and getting a refund.
DeGruttola was flying from Boston to Johannesburg on four different airlines; he used United Airlines frequent flyer miles to book the flights. Along the way, two airlines canceled his flights for various reasons. He had to pay an extra $1,550 to set things straight. Of course, the three airlines are now pointing the finger at each other, and they want DeGruttola to pay for their mistake.
I don’t know if there’s any lesson to be learned from this case, other than maybe to keep your flight itineraries simple and to never pay for your ticket with miles, which seem to be a second-rate currency. But if I said that, I would probably get run out of town with torches and pitchforks by airline apologists. So let’s just pretend I never said it and get on with the story.
A complicated flight — and a complicated problem
Here’s DeGruttola’s full itinerary:
Whoa, my head is spinning! But it gets even more complicated.
I’ll let him pick up the story:
When we arrived in Johannesburg Airport on Sept. 16 to fly to Cairo, we were told by EgyptAir that our tickets for both MS840 on that day and for MS787 had been canceled.
We had just arrived from Botswana earlier that day (on a separate airline ticket) and were stuck in the Johannesburg Airport international transfer desk area with no options so we ended up repurchasing our tickets for both MS840 and MS787 for 23,007.00 ZA Rand ($1,550 plus a $46.50 foreign transaction fee).
Despite having repurchased our tickets for MS787, we ran into the problem again when we arrived at Cairo airport on Sep 24 when we were told our tickets had again been canceled.
Though in this case, EgyptAir was willing to uncancel our tickets so we could get home.
Wow, that’s five airlines and flights booked with funny money. What could possibly go wrong?
How to fix this United Airlines’ mistake — if it even was United Airlines’ mistake
So, the question is, how do we get a refund of the $1,550 and the $46 foreign transaction fee he had to pay for the new tickets?
I’ll let DeGruttola explain what he did:
After several months of working with United to try to resolve the matter, we were told by United that we would need to seek our refund directly from EgyptAir.
On contacting EgyptAir, they told us that we needed to seek our refund from United. So we are not sure what to do at this point.
We suspect that our EgyptAir tickets were canceled because of an additional flight that was included on the EgyptAir itinerary on Sept. 5, 2018, on MS839. The Sept. 5th flight was never part of or shown on our United itinerary.
My wife and I were actually aware of and concerned about this extra flight on Sept. 5, so we contacted United before we started our trip to make sure this “ghost leg” would not be a problem. We were told by United that it should not be a problem.
When I challenged with “are you sure,” the agent checked with her supervisor and confirmed that it should not be a problem.
“In addition, it took us hours to resolve the situation at both Johannesburg and Cairo airports, causing both my wife and me considerable stress,” he says. “It would be nice to have some kind of acknowledgment by EgyptAir or United that this should not have happened.”
How we straightened this one out
Here’s how I see it. United Airlines is happy to take DeGruttola’s money and to give him miles, points, or bottle caps. It will allow him to book a Frankenstein itinerary to Africa. But when it comes to standing behind that itinerary, it will defer to every partner airline rather than take responsibility. I think that’s wrong.
Our advocate Dwayne Coward recommended that DeGruttola contact executives at both United Airlines and EgyptAir.
He did, with mixed results. United called and left a message saying it would help with EgyptAir. But EgyptAir then said it had no record of his second ticket purchase in its system.
“I think they are suggesting I need to communicate with the EgyptAir South African office directly,” he told Dwayne.
After Dwayne contacted United, the airline had a change of heart and agreed to a partial refund of the miles (110,000 miles out of the 225,000 miles used for the tickets) plus $1,200 in travel vouchers.
“So finally a happy ending,” says DeGruttola. “I have no doubt that your advocacy helped.”
Perhaps. But this case was madness from start to finish. It shouldn’t matter which partner airline you’re flying. The airline that took your money should also take care of you. United left DeGruttola high and dry. Should he have been messing around with a “ghost leg”? Probably not. But that’s no way to treat a loyal customer.
He continued: “You get right down to it, with the exception of that piece of flap that they found in the water, I would say that it landed on land some place.”
However, Ryan admits the discovery of three pieces of debris investigators say is from the plane does “poke a pretty big hole” in his theory.
They are the flaperon and two other wing fragments that washed up in the Indian Ocean.
But he said his claim should not be ruled out because the plane wasn’t found during a four-year search.
After suggesting the plane may still be intact, he continued: “But, remember, they have found a part of the wing flap from that plane in the Indian Ocean near Madagascar.”
He said: “So far what little debris that has been found was all found on the westerly route I am suggesting it was flown.
“Yes, I know it sounds sinister and they did find a part of the wing that was damaged when, or if, it hit the water but remember where it was found (east of Madagascar).
“Again along the route I believe it was flown, and not to the southwest of Australia where they spent so much time searching.”
Former ticket agent spills the beans on airlines’ ticket codes. Buzz60’s Tony Spitz has the details. Buzz60
Smile!
Several of the world’s biggest airlines – including American Airlines, Delta Air Lines, United Airlines and Singapore Airlines – have cameras installed on screens on the backs of passenger seats.
All four airlines say they have no intentions of using the technology, though.
American Airlines told USA TODAY that manufacturers of in-flight entertainment systems have “included cameras for possible future uses such as seat-to-seat video conferencing,” adding that the camera technology has “never been activated.”
Related: Couple found hidden camera in their Carnival Cruise bedroom: ‘Our privacy had been invaded’
Delta concurred, telling USA TODAY that “they are not functional and Delta does not have any plans to install the necessary software to use them,” while United added: “Our cameras have never been activated on United aircraft.”
A passenger on a Singapore Airlines flight called attention to the cameras on his seat-back entertainment system, sparking a debate over passengers’ privacy concerns.
“Just found this interesting sensor looking at me from the seat back on board of Singapore Airlines,” Vitaly Kamluk tweeted on Feb. 16. “Any expert opinion of whether this a camera? Perhaps @SingaporeAir could clarify how it is used?”
In response, Singapore Airlines tweeted that their “newer inflight entertainment systems provided by the original equipment manufacturers do have a camera embedded in the hardware.”
“These cameras have been disabled on our aircraft, and there are no plans to develop any features using the cameras,” the company added, echoing other air carriers.
More: Stuck on a plane: American, Delta fined for lengthy tarmac delays
All four airlines stressed that they didn’t add the cameras – manufacturers embedded them in the entertainment systems. American’s systems are made by Panasonic, while Singapore uses Panasonic and Thales, according to airline representatives.
In a statement to USA TODAY, Panasonic said they “take airline passenger privacy very seriously.”
“Panasonic Avionics will never activate any feature or functionality within an (inflight entertainment) system without explicit direction from an airline customer,” the statement read.
Kamluk offered an easy solution: “Keep security of your passengers up! It’s best to disable these cameras physically until you decide to use them, i.e. with a simple sticker.”
Contributing: The Associated Press
Related: Southwest Airlines gets FAA approval for Hawaii flights
Rivkin is no stranger to the commercial aviation industry, having served as deputy general counsel for Delta Air Lines from 2013 to 2016. Prior to joining Delta, he served as general counsel for the DOT from 2009 to 2013, where he was sworn in following a unanimous confirmation by the U.S. Senate. Currently, Rivkin serves as the deputy mayor of the City of Chicago. He has also worked in private law practice and as a federal prosecutor.
Rivkin graduated magna cum laude from Harvard College, and received a juris doctorate degree from Stanford Law School, where he was an associate editor of the Stanford Law Review. Rivkin and his wife of more than 30 years have three children. Rivkin’s last day as Chicago’s deputy mayor will be February 28, and he will start his new role at United the week of March 18.
Every customer. Every flight. Every day.
In 2019, United is focusing more than ever on its commitment to its customers, looking at every aspect of its business to ensure that the carrier keeps customers’ best interests at the heart of its service. In addition to today’s announcement, United recently released a re-imagined version of the most downloaded app in the airline industry and made DIRECTV free for every passenger on 211 aircraft, offering more than 100 channels on seat back monitors on more than 30,000 seats. The multimillion-dollar investment in improving inflight entertainment options will benefit the more than 29 million people expected to fly United’s DIRECTV-enabled planes this year.
About United
United’s shared purpose is “Connecting People. Uniting the World.” We are more focused than ever on our commitment to customers through a series of innovations and improvements designed to help build a great experience: Every customer. Every flight. Every day. Together, United Airlines and United Express operate approximately 4,800 flights a day to 353 airports across five continents. In 2018, United and United Express operated more than 1.7 million flights carrying more than 158 million customers. United is proud to have the world’s most comprehensive route network, including U.S. mainland hubs in Chicago, Denver, Houston, Los Angeles, New York/Newark, San Francisco and Washington, D.C. United operates 770 mainline aircraft and the airline’s United Express carriers operate 559 regional aircraft. United is a founding member of Star Alliance, which provides service to 193 countries via 28 member airlines. For more information, visit united.com, follow @United on Twitter and Instagram or connect on Facebook. The common stock of United’s parent, United Continental Holdings, Inc., is traded on the Nasdaq under the symbol “UAL”.
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Artist’s rendering
“Our continued investments emphasize our commitment to our customers in Los Angeles as California’s global airline,” said United Airlines Chief Operations Officer Greg Hart, commenting on the US$1.6 billion spent on investing at Los Angeles Airport (LAX).
The airline recently completed nearly $600 million in renovations to its terminal at LAX, and today, United Airlines and Los Angeles World Airports (LAWA) broke ground on a state-of-the-art Technical Operations Center (TOC) at Los Angeles International Airport.
The new facility will include two connected buildings – a ground service equipment and facilities maintenance building and a line maintenance hangar, including an engine support shop that will focus on the aircraft’s Dreamliner fleet. The commencement of this $352 million TOC pushes the airline’s investments at its Los Angeles hub to nearly $1 billion in recent years.
The new TOC will consolidate two facilities that United currently operates at LAX that are located a mile and a half apart, improving efficiency with not only moving aircraft around the airport but with transporting employees, parts, tools and other supplies – ultimately leading to a more efficient operation for customers. The TOC will be located near the airline’s terminal and stand at 407,408 square feet. The facility’s hangar will be able to accommodate up to six narrow-body or two widebody aircraft at a time, supporting United’s 150 flights that depart from LAX every day. The TOC will help United’s growing operation in Los Angeles by continuing to deliver an on time, safe and reliable operation.
“This modern, world-class facility will create more than 800 jobs in L.A. during the construction process and will be home to more than 500 United employees once it is completed,” said Greg Hart, chief operations officer at United.
“Los Angeles World Airports and United Airlines have a shared vision for modern and efficient facilities,” said Deborah Flint, CEO, LAWA. “United Airlines’ new LAX Technical Operations Center integrates state-of-the-art technology and a modern design that complements the transformation that is taking place across LAX. This project will create hundreds of local jobs and bring us one step closer to the Gold-Standard airport that Los Angeles deserves.”
United tapped AECOM Hunt to be the prime contractor for the project, and selected FSB as lead architect for the facility. The airline is also partnering with AvAirPros, which is providing project management services during construction of the TOC.
United is also investing in additional maintenance facilities at key airports around the country. Tampa airport authorities recently approved a ground lease for a new hangar that will have room for two Boeing 737MAX aircraft. The airline is also continuing construction on an expansive new technical operations center at Houston’s George Bush Intercontinental Airport, which consolidates the airline’s maintenance operations in a complex that provides greater efficiency and flexibility. United is also moving into a new hangar in Portland, Oregon and working with the City of Chicago to create a new hangar as part of the O’Hare Modernization Program.
Steve Grzanich and Brian Sumers (Sr. Aviation Business Editor at Skift.com) checked in on the airline industry this week by picking up last week updating the Southwest/mechanics relationship that is going through a rough patch, but also touched on the tension between United Airlines and Expedia in which customers might see a change in customer service.
