For years, the right has vilified Federal workers as nameless, faceless bureaucrats. But the truth is they’re Air Traffic Controllers, they’re Food Inspectors, they’re Transportation Security Officers and law enforcement. They’re the people who live in our communities and they’re being hurt.
Whether you’re a frequent flier or have only flown on a passenger aircraft once in your life, here are five things to know about passenger planes.
One United Airlines flight attendant truly took a walk on the wild side in honor of her 50th birthday, exiting the aircraft of a small private plane for a special wing-walking stunt as the aircraft soared high above the Pacific Northwest.
When planning celebrations for her recent milestone birthday, Frankfurt, Germany-based United staffer Sabrina Swenson knew she wanted to commemorate the occasion in an epic way, as per a blog post from the carrier. Intrigued for many years by the idea of “wing-walking” – an aerial stunt when one moves onto the wings of an airplane as it flies through the high skies – Swenson traveled to Sequim, Washington, to make her dreams come true.
“Upon reaching the appropriate altitude and slowing down to just above a stall speed, the pilot wagged the wings, letting me know it was time to get out. I looked back to see him giving me the thumbs up,” the fearless flight attendant wrote in the United blog post.
(United Airlines)
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After receiving proper training at the Mason Wing Walking Academy, USA Today reports, Swenson and a pilot took off in a Boeing-Stearman biplane, floating over the Olympic Peninsula and Strait of Juan de Fuca.
“Upon reaching the appropriate altitude and slowing down to just above a stall speed, the pilot wagged the wings, letting me know it was time to get out. I looked back to see him giving me the thumbs up,” the fearless flight attendant wrote in the United blog post. “With that encouragement, I left my seat and grabbed the two handholds above me, fighting the wind the entire time.”
“I carefully made my way up between the cables above me to the pole on top of the plane. I leaned against it and buckled into the four-point harness.”
(United Airlines)
“I carefully made my way up between the cables above me to the pole on top of the plane. I leaned against it and buckled into the four-point harness. After giving the thumbs up, the pilot proceeded to do aerobatics, including loops, barrel rolls and hammerheads,” she continued.
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Taking in the unbelievable scene, Swenson revealed that she “hung on to the pole for the first loop” but soon found the confidence to “[throw] caution to the wind and [hold] out both arms!”
Under supervision of the pilot, Swenson soon carefully made her way back to her seat, and buckled back in.
“You wouldn’t think wing walking is exhausting, but it is,” the birthday girl mused of her feat.
(United Airlines)
“You wouldn’t think wing walking is exhausting, but it is,” the birthday girl mused of her feat. “People often ask if I was tethered to the plane. Yes, I was. I had a long cable attached to me and the strut of the plane at all times. However, it’s imperative that you take the training seriously and are careful while moving around in the air.”
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“My time wing walking in beautiful Sequim will live on in my memory until my last day. You simply don’t forget one of the best days of your life!” she concluded online.
Reps for the carrier soon shared Swenson’s tale to Twitter, where the story has since won applause.
“She was born to fly!!! Congrats!!!!” one fan wrote.
“That’s actually pretty impressive….” another commenter agreed.
“Beats being stuck in the middle seat,” another quipped.
DENVER, CO – OCTOBER 9: Oscar Munoz, CEO of United Airlines speaks to flight attendants in a cut out cabin in the emergency procedure training room during their scheduled reoccurring training in the new $40-million flight training center in east Denver on October 9, 2018 in Denver, Colorado. (Photo by Joe Amon/The Denver Post via Getty Images)Getty
Chicago-based United Airlines is opening its seatback entertainment powered by DirecTV to all customers for free. Previously, the seatback-based satellite streaming service was offered to domestic business class customers for free while economy passengers had to swipe a credit card and pay a small fee to scroll through the spectrum of channels. As of January 30th, however, the service is now free for all passengers.
The updated service applies to all of the carrier’s 211 Boeing 737 fleet with seatback entertainment. All told, roughly 30,000 seats will be affected by the change.
United’s announcement comes in the midst of a transition at American and United to move away from integrated seatback entertainment screens and towards digital, streaming entertainment built for bring-your-own devices. As part of that move, carriers have been quick to offer digital solutions to passengers for free as a distraction from the physical changes happening in the cabin.
Last July, United confirmed to Runwaygirl Network that it was removing seatback screens from a selection of its 757 fleet. At the time, a spokeswoman told Runwaygirl that “as part of a retrofit program, we are updating some of our 757s, including adding our new first class narrowbody seats. During this process, we will be removing DirecTV from nine of our 757s, and will continue offering hundreds of hours of complimentary entertainment via personal device entertainment.” Other narrowbody aircraft that the company has ordered in the last year have been missing seatback screens.
Over at American, the transition has been more aggressive. Many aircraft are in the process of being retrofitted to phase out the seatback screens in favor of digital alternatives; other new aircraft orders are coming in without screens at all.
Unsurprisingly, American has also been aggressive in sharing news about its new streaming capabilities. Just this week, the carrier issued a release together with Apple to share that Wi-Fi (and Apple) users on the carrier could now access streaming music for free. And in September, American launched its own campaign around free television operating through Gogo’s satellite feed.
Though United’s situation is similar to American’s, it’s only complication has been its relationship with DirecTV, which runs the TV satellite service feeding part of its fleet. Last April, United announced that it would offer free streaming entertainment on top of the paid service offered by DirecTV. By now opening up the seatback screens to passengers, the carrier may be acknowledging that its era of satellite-powered seatback televisions is about to be over – and that for this last chapter, passengers can enjoy the ride.
As thousands of federal workers struggled without paychecks during last month’s record-long government shutdown, United Airlines donated $1 million to the Shutdown Response Fund, an organization that helped provide food to federal workers.
“On behalf of the United family, I would like to thank the countless federal employees who have made a large sacrifice to ensure our safety despite not being paid, and we hope this contribution provides them much-needed support,” said Oscar Munoz, chief executive officer of United Airlines.
The longest-ever government shutdown ended on last Friday when President Trump signed a bill to reopen the government for three weeks, giving 800,000 federal workers a chance to get paychecks that had been withheld since the shutdown started on Dec. 22, 2018.
Even with the government reopening last Friday, there is still a lingering impact for “many hardworking families,” Feeding America CEO Claire Babineaux-Fontenot said in a statement.
“This donation will support Feeding America member food banks as they provide immediate and longer-term assistance to people impacted by the furlough as they get back on their feet in the coming months.”
United said that its aim in supporting Feeding America was to help support workers who work side-by-side with its team to get travelers to their destinations safely. It also helped Feeding America, which is the largest hunger-relief organization in the United States, set up food distribution centers at seven of its hubs and New York’s LaGuardia Airport. The airline is distributing care packages to federal employees twice a week throughout February.
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If you have to fly the friendly skies during the Super Bowl, you may be able to see it without being charged a fee. Buzz60’s Mercer Morrison has the story.
Buzz60
Flight attendants are used to flying in airplanes, but not many have flown outside of them.
United Airlines flight attendant Sabrina Swenson did just that to celebrate her 50th birthday, according to a blog post she wrote for the airline’s website.
The Frankfurt, Germany-based attendant said she first took to the skies on the outside of an aircraft eight years ago, when the only wing-walking operation open to nonprofessionals was based in London. At that time, she was strapped into a standing position on top of a Boeing Stearman biplane before taking off.
More recently, she heard there was a place in Washington that allowed you to walk out onto the wing once you were already in the air.
“I knew I had to do it, and what better occasion than to celebrate my 50th birthday?” she wrote.
After training at the Mason Wing Walking Academy in Sequim (two hours outside of Seattle), Swenson and her pilot took off.
Once in the air, she started by enjoying the views — and then, it was go time.
“The Olympic Peninsula and the gorgeous Strait of Juan de Fuca, which separates Canada and the United States is stunning,” she wrote. “Upon reaching the appropriate altitude and slowing down to just above a stall speed, the pilot wagged the wings, letting me know it was time to get out.”
She continued, “I left my seat and grabbed the two hand holds above me, fighting the wind the entire time. I carefully made my way up between the cables above me to the pole on top of the plane. I leaned against it and buckled into the four-point harness.”
Flight Attendant Sabrina S. took her 50th birthday celebration outside. As in, outside the plane. On the wing. Yes, really.
— United Airlines (@united) February 1, 2019
Then, as if things weren’t scary enough, the pilot started to do aerobatics, including “loops, barrel rolls and hammerheads.”
“I hung on to the pole for the first loop, but after the first one was completed successfully, I threw caution to the wind and held out both arms!,” Swenson recalled.
So was she harnessed to the plane the entire time? Of course, she wrote.
“I had a long cable attached to me and the strut of the plane at all times,” she explained. “However, it’s imperative that you take the training seriously and are careful while moving around in the air.”
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United Airlines aircraft at George Bush Intercontinental Airport in Houston. (Getty photo)Getty
Pilots at United Airlines, who have been negotiating a new contract for nearly a year, say they have hit a snag regarding their scope clause, which determines how much flying can be outsourced.
“We started negotiations early and we were making good progress, but scope is a hold up,” union spokesman Greg Everhard, a Boeing 767 captain, said Friday.
The contract covering United’s 12,500 pilots became amendable Thursday. The carrier and the United chapter of the Air Line Pilots Association, which have enjoyed a positive relationship over the past few years, agreed to start negotiations early in March 2018.
However, “Despite efforts to reach a seamless agreement, critical items remain between us and a final deal,” three dozen union leaders including United ALPA President Todd Insler wrote Thursday in a letter to members. “We will not be rushed into an agreement that does not meet the needs of membership simply for the sake of expediency.”
The gap between the parties reflects disagreement on the carrier’s effort to alter the scope clause, the letter said. Currently, the carrier is limited to flying 255 aircraft with 70 to 76 seats, smaller jets flown by pilots who work not for United but for one of the eight regional airlines that contracts to fly shorter routes.
“For many months, United’s senior leadership has publicly expressed their desire to change our [contractual] regional jet scope limitations,” the letter said. “In response to this rhetoric, the United pilots have stated loud and clear we have no interest in allowing management to expand their reliance on an outdated and flawed strategy of outsourcing.
“There are several easy and practical solutions that ensure robust feed to our network,” the letter said. “These innovative concepts would redefine United Airlines and the industry in a positive, meaningful way.”
United spokeswoman Megan McCarthy declined Friday to provide details on scope negotiations. “We continue to work with ALPA on issues that are important to the company and important to our pilots,” she said. “We will leave those discussions at the table.”
The current United contract pilot includes rates for pilots who fly 90 seat aircraft. Those pilots are paid $91 an hour and can fly 1,000 hours a year. Similar compensation of $91,000 annually is attainable at regional carriers because the continuing pilot shortage has forced such carriers to raise hourly pay and to offer signing bonuses and retention bonuses.
In general, pilot contract rates are related to the number of seats on the aircraft the pilot flies, so an aircraft with 70 to 76 seats would have a lower pay rate than an aircraft with 90 seats.
United President Scott Kirby is at the center of the carrier’s effort to expand the scope clause. Speaking at an investor conference in March, Kirby said he is intent on “driving higher connectivity and revenue quality” by providing more capacity from cities such as Columbia Mo., and Rochester Minn. to United hubs. Such routes can only be efficiently served by 76-seat regional jets, he said.
Kirby said adding 76-seaters is a “win-win” because feeding the mainline creates better opportunities for mainline pilots, but he noted, “I get why our pilots are really nervous about this – if I were a pilot, I’d be really nervous about it.”
The remarks provoked a response from Insler, who wrote in a March letter to pilots that “Despite the public statements from the company about needing ‘scope relief,’ they have the ability to add 76-seat aircraft under current [contract] language,” Insler wrote. “No relief is needed.”
United “can add 76-seaters tomorrow with no restrictions if they are flown by mainline pilots,” he said. “We have done the math and know that mainline United pilots can deliver the current 76-seat product with better economics, improved reliability and with a superior customer experience for our passengers, just as we do on our current fleets.”
In 2014, during contract talks with pilots at American Airlines, where he previously worked, Kirby also sought scope concessions. The reaction from American pilots then was similar to the reaction from United pilots today.
“Scope is a religious issue to pilots,” said Dennis Tajer, spokesman for the Allied Pilots Association. “It’s so fundamental for our pilots that Mr. Kirby’s persistent scope concession requests almost undermined the trust and culture change he was trying to promote.”
Like United pilots, American pilots are also negotiating a new contract. But scope does not appear to be an issue. During American’s fourth quarter earnings call, Chief Financial Officer Derek Kerr was asked whether American Airlines Group will order more regional jets for the regional carriers it owns. Kerr said delivery of 15 regional jets in 2020 “will pretty close to max out our large RJ scope, so we don’t expect anymore.”
Last week, in a letter to APA members, President Don Carey said union priorities include improved scheduling, “contract repair, with a focus on items that were modified in bankruptcy,” and “industry-leading hourly pay rates and address gaps in compensation and benefits.”
With stunningly icy weather currently sweeping across the Midwestern and Northeastern US, in some cases dropping to negative 60 degrees Fahrenheit including wind chill (or -51 Celsius), travel delays and cancellations are reaching levels not seen in recent memory.
In the midst of the potential confusion and frustration of not knowing if your flight will actually take off, United Airlines has added a timely update to its mobile app (download for iOS or Android). It can now give you more information about a flight delay, including the cause of the issue, the new expected arrival time at your airport, the new estimated departure time and the new estimated time to arrive at your destination.
This comes as part of an overall redesign of the app to make it friendlier to use for customers who do not fly often.
SEE: Apple Music becomes American Airlines’ official in-flight streaming service
This info will be accessible from within the app’s Inbox section, indicated by an envelope icon at the bottom right corner of the app’s home screen. If there is a flight alert, you’ll be able to tell at a glance, because the envelope will go from gray to blue, and it will get a red dot in one corner. Then just tap the envelope to see your list of alerts.
If there are any gate changes, you’ll get a notification here as well, with the exact time when the alert was sent out. In either case, the Inbox will also tell you when it was last updated with new info, and you can swipe down from the middle of the screen to manually check for updates.
Independently of an app, you can also arrange to get alerts from United via email or SMS text message. Click this link to get started. We’d generally recommend multiple alert methods anyway, because text messages can sometimes fail to arrive, and the mobile app needs an internet connection that may not always be available on your way to the airport.
FOLLOW Download.com on Twitter for all the latest app news.
If you just want to confirm the details of your United flight, tap the Flight Status icon to the right of the Inbox icon. This tool can actually look up any United flight that’s scheduled for the next several days, so if you’re preparing to receive guests, you can confirm their travel details here as well.
While delayed flight info is a helpful addition, it’s not the only important change to the United Airlines app. In addition to the new Inbox, you also now have a “My Profile” section where you can manage a MileagePlus account, and a “My Trips” section where you can look at the travel info for previous trips or look up a reservation for an upcoming flight.
If you’re wondering where you can find airport maps, get rideshare or lodging assistance, or check baggage fees, that’s available by tapping the hamburger menu icon in the upper left.
Press release from the Redwood Region Economic Development Commission:
The Redwood Region Economic Development Commission (RREDC) and the Humboldt County Department of Aviation announced today that United Airlines will be adding a second departure to LAX starting May 29, 2019.
United Airlines had previously announced that nonstop service from Humboldt County (ACV) to Denver International Airport (DEN) will start June 7, 2019.
With the addition of the second LAX flight, the summer schedule will include six departures per day, one to Denver, two to Los Angeles, and three to San Francisco.
Flights to and from Los Angeles have been very popular from the very start of the service. RREDC and the County Department of Aviation would like to extend their gratitude to the flying public for their enthusiastic support of the service.For more information, go to http://www.flyhumboldt.org
In January, United Airlines rolled out a redesigned version of its smartphone app designed to cater to not only frequent fliers but those who fly with United once a year, Linda Jojo, the airline’s chief digital officer, told Business Insider in a recent interview.
Such consideration is crucial, considering roughly 85% of the airline’s customers fly with United once or not at all in a year, United Airlines President Scott Kirby has said.
According to Jojo, the new app is keenly focused on transparency and helping alleviate travelers’ stress and anxiety by providing them with useful information without overwhelming them.
One feature of the app is groundbreaking: the flight-delay notification.
From the outside, it might not seem particularly interesting, but seeing it in action is pretty impressive.
The apps of almost all major airlines will tell you if your flight has been delayed or your gate has changed. But United’s app takes things one step further.
It explains to travelers why there’s a delay and what’s being done to rectify the situation. For example, United’s app could tell you not only how much a delay is likely to affect your arrival time, but where your plane is and why it’s being held up.
This notification feature, which was available last year at a few United Airlines hubs around the US, is now available across United’s network.
Denver Weather Summary: 35 degrees
