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OGDENSBURG — A decision by United Airlines to temporarily suspend service between Ottawa and Chicago this summer is not related to plans to offer flights between Ogdensburg International Airport and Chicago O’Hare beginning in May, according to a spokesman for the company.

Jonathan Guerin, a spokesman for United Airlines, said his company’s recent decision to suspend thrice-daily flights from Ottawa International Airport to Chicago from June of this year through March of 2020 is not related to the start of flights between Ogdensburg and Chicago beginning in May.

The link between United Airlines and Ogdensburg comes through its connection with SkyWest Airlines, which was recently awarded a two-year contract to provide Essential Air Services from Ogdensburg International Airport to Chicago O’Hare and Washington Dulles airports. SkyWest will be paid approximately $3 million in annual subsidies through the federal government’s EAS program. The flights will be offered through SkyWest’s affiliation with United Airlines, operating as United Express.

Although the decision by United to cut back on flights to the Midwest out of Ottawa comes at the same time that the company is preparing to launch a new service out of Ogdensburg. Mr. Guerin said the two are not related.

In an email this week, Mr. Guerin said there is no connection to the two routes operated from north and south of the Canada-U.S. border. He also asserted that the company is not attempting to funnel Canadian traffic through Ogdensburg.

“In an effort to best utilize our growing fleet of regional aircraft during the upcoming busy summer travel season, we are temporarily suspending United Express service between Chicago and Ottawa, effective June 6, 2019,” Mr. Guerin said. “We plan to resume service in March 2020 and we will continue to serve Ottawa from our hubs in New York/Newark and Washington Dulles. This change will help ensure we continue to deliver the caring and reliable experience our customers expect when flying United.”

The change in service between June and March means Ottawa will lose its only direct flight from Ottawa to Chicago offered by United Airlines during that time, according to Ottawa airport officials.

In Ogdensburg, SkyWest Airlines, through United Express, will provide 12 round trips per week to Chicago O’Hare International Airport and Washington Dulles International Airport using 50-passenger Canadair Regional Jet 200 aircraft. Its two-year contract runs from April 1, 2019 through March 31, 2021,

SkyWest had originally been awarded Essential Air Service contracts for both Ogdensburg and Massena on Feb. 8. However, in a letter dated Feb. 22, it notified the Department of Transportation that it would not be able to provide service in Massena.

Massena officials are now hoping that Boutique Air will be awarded a contract for EAS service providing 21 nonstop round trips each week to Boston Logan International Airport using the airline’s Pilatus PC-12 aircraft.

Air travel is the fastest way to cover ground, but it can be an unpleasant experience. Here are three tips to make your trip more comfortable.
USA TODAY

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A popular free snack is being served to passengers flying United Airlines once again

United Airlines will now provide passengers with Stroopwafels once again. The waffle-like Dutch treat has been a beloved free perk for United passengers since 2016, but back in June, the airline replaced Stroopwafels with “maple wafers” and customers took to social media to complain.

In a rare move, both United Airlines and the Association of Flight Attendants (AFA) have issued statements warning flight attendants to stop trading or choosing flight trips to work on, at risk of dismissal.

According to the airline’s full memo, frustrated staffers have been reporting allegations of “illicit trip brokering” – orchestrated in part through social media – through the last few months, prompting the Chicago-based carrier to launch an internal investigation.

Though flight attendants are lawfully allowed to switch trips with one another to ensure full coverage, according to Fast Company, brokering routes for personal profit is forbidden.

Both United Airlines and the Association of Flight Attendants have issued statements warning flight attendants to stop fraudulently trading or choosing flight trips to buy or sell amongst each other, at risk of dismissal.   
(iStock)

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“Those trades are not the issue. What we’re addressing is the growing problem of selecting, trading or parking a pairing to broker, buy or sell it to another Flight Attendant,” the United memo, released March 22, begins.

“Several of the complaints we received pointed out social media posts authored by Flight Attendants that promised ‘hugs,’ ‘kisses,’ ‘candy canes,’ ‘expressions of appreciation’ and other coded enticements in exchange for a pairing,” the message continues. “Our research confirmed this is in fact happening, and these gestures are violations of our policies.”

“We have zero tolerance for this prohibited behavior. When we discover that it’s occurring, we will fully investigate and take appropriate action, up to and including discharge,” the notice concludes.

“We have zero tolerance for this prohibited behavior. When we discover that it’s occurring, we will fully investigate and take appropriate action, up to and including discharge,” the notice concludes.
(iStock)

Likewise, the AFA’s memo – released the next day – acknowledges that though flexibility from airlines is essential for a sustainable career in the demanding profession of flight service, brokering flights is unethical and will not be tolerated from the union.

“Understanding that we can’t always control the events in our lives and that our chosen career often makes it necessary for us to adjust our schedules at the last minute, we’ve negotiated industry leading flexibilities to allow us the opportunity to adjust our schedules to achieve that necessary work life balance and to care for our families,” the memo states.

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“However, what has not been negotiated is the increasing parking of pairings with the intent to broker, buy or sell the pairing to another Flight Attendant,” it continues. “Our [joint collective bargaining agreement] includes a provision that expressly prohibits parking. Those individuals who are participating in this activity are creating a disservice to the entire Membership.”

“The time to stop is now,” the notice advises.

As defined by USA Today, a “pairing” can be defined as the parts of a flight journey, while “parking a pairing” is when flight attendants accept trips that they have “no intention of using.”

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When contacted for comment, reps for United returned Fox News’ request for additional comment on the story with the following statement:

“We know schedules are very important to our flight attendants, and we work closely with AFA to make sure our flight attendant scheduling is fair for all of them,” a spokesperson said.

In similar headlines, United fired 35 employees in March in relation to another “brokering scheme” – for the alleged, illicit sale of travel passes to those beyond their immediate family and friends, the Chicago Tribune reported at the time.

United is now the first US airline to give customers non-binary gender options while booking their flights.

“United is excited to share with our customers, whether they identify along the binary of male or female or not, that we are taking the steps to exhibit our care for them while also providing additional employee training to make us even more welcoming for all customers and employees,” United’s Chief Customer Officer Toby Enqvist said in a statement.

The airline has worked with LGBTQ organisations The Human Rights Campaign and The Trevor Project on training employees in conjunction with these updates. Such training includes the use of preferred pronouns.

In February, an Air New Zealand spokeswoman said it was “exploring how we can introduce non-binary gender options across our various digital environments”.

READ MORE:
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* Non-binary finery: The Kiwis whose gender doesn’t fit in a ‘neat little box’
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* New diverse gender category ‘affirming’ for local activist

“By providing non-binary gender selection for ticketing and the gender-inclusive honorific ‘Mx’ in user profiles, United Airlines is taking an important step forward for non-binary inclusion,” Beck Bailey, acting director of the Workplace Equality Program at the Human Rights Campaign, added in the same statement.

Amit Paley, CEO Executive Director of The Trevor Project, an organisation geared toward crisis and suicide prevention efforts for LGBTQ youth, said in the statement: “We are thrilled to bring Trevor’s expertise on the mental health of LGBTQ people to United to ensure its employees maintain safe and inclusive spaces for LGBTQ employees and guests.”

United’s announcement comes after two big trade groups – Airlines for America in the USA and the global International Air Transport Association – recently approved a new international best-practices standard that suggests accommodation for travellers using “non-binary IDs”.

The suggested standard would create an option for “unspecified” or “undisclosed” for passengers booking tickets. That option would be in addition to the options for “male” or “female”.

This standard was said to become effective June 1, but it was up to individual airlines to make the option available to their booking platforms.

– USA Today

 

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Air Line Pilots Association spokesman James Belton says Boeing, the Department of Transportation and the FAA are going to work together to come up with a fix for Boeing’s 737 Max jets.

Boeing announced on Wednesday it has reprogrammed its software to prevent erroneous data from triggering its anti-stall system aboard its 737 Max jets.

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United Airlines first officer James Belton told FOX Business that Boeing will work with the Department of Transportation and the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to come up with a fix for the 737 Max planes.

“We want to ensure the 737 Max is better than ever for the public,” United Airlines first officer James Belton said on “Countdown to the Closing Bell” Wednesday. “We have the safest air travel.”

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The Senate Commerce subcommittee on aviation and space held a hearing on how the three top government agencies in aviation, National Transportation Safety Board, FAA, and the Transportation Department handled the certification of the relatively new Boeing Max 737 jet.

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“United flew the 737 Max for 23,000 hours without incident,” James said as he expects the software fix to make it even safer to fly.

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United Airlines, after an internal investigation, is warning its flight attendants to stop selecting or trading flights to buy or sell to each other.

In a March 22 memo addressed to United’s flight attendants, the airline said that over the past few months, concerns regarding “illicit trip brokering” have come up. Some flight attendants have apparently been scooping up the best trips and brokering, buying or selling them for personal gain.

“What we’re addressing is the growing problem of selecting, trading or parking a pairing to broker, buy or sell it to another flight attendant,” the memo reads.

All this follows the airline firing more than 35 employees after it discovered that they were abusing their employee travel perks by selling travel passes, which are intended for employees and their friends and family. 

United said in the memo that it received complaints that flight attendants were making such overtures on social media, promising “‘hugs,’ “kisses,’ ‘candy canes,’ ‘expressions of appreciation’ and other coded enticements in exchange for a pairing.”

A flight pairing refers to the various legs of a flight journey,  and “parking a pairing” refers to a flight attendant picking up a trip that he or she has no intention of using.

“Sharing your system password or using United scheduling tools to engage in those types of behaviors is strictly prohibited,” the memo continues. “To that end, we are working with IT and corporate security to identify those who may be misusing our systems for personal gain.”

Per the rules of a joint collective bargaining agreement − effective as of last October − flight attendants have “more flexibility than ever to manage (their) schedules,” according to the airline.

United warned the flight attendants that they could be fired for these brokering, buying or selling practices.

“We have zero tolerance for this prohibited behavior,” according to the memo. “When we discover that it’s occurring, we will fully investigate and take appropriate action, up to and including discharge.”

“We know schedules are very important to our flight attendants, and we work closely with (the Association of Flight Attendants) to make sure our flight attendant scheduling is fair for all of them,” United Airlines spokeswoman Kimberly Gibbs told USA TODAY in a statement.

In the memo, the airline encourages whistle-blowers to speak up and reminds them that no one should be afforded “an unfair advantage when it comes to managing their schedule or accessing flying opportunities.”

“If you believe that individuals are not following the rules, please let the management team know so that we can address this unfairness,” the memo says.

The Association of Flight Attendants said in a statement that “it is disappointing to learn that those involved in this activity have elected to put their personal gain ahead of the well-being of our greater collective.”

“We support our members who have conveyed to us their aggravation, frustration and concern with the continuing nature of these schemes that take advantage of some flight attendants while disadvantaging others,” the statement continued. “The time to stop is now.”

The rest of the statement is available here.

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• Australian model Adau Mornyang has been found guilty of physically and verbally assaulting a member of United Airlines’ cabin crew.
• The former Miss Australia finalist shouted and slapped the flight attendant after being asked to quieten down and being denied more alcohol on board the flight from Melbourne to Los Angeles in January, trial evidence showed.
• She was arrested upon landing and now faces up to 21 years in US prison.
• Mornyang denies the charges and says she slept through the whole flight.

An Australian model could face up to 21 years in prison after being convicted of assaulting a flight attendant on board a plane travelling from Melbourne to Los Angeles after she was reportedly cut off from the onboard drinks service.

Former Miss Australia finalist Adau Akui Atem Mornyang, 24, “appeared to be intoxicated” when she slapped and shouted at a member of United Airlines’ cabin crew during a flight on January 21, according to a press release from the US Department of Justice (DoJ).

Mornyang denies that any assault took place.

A US air marshal described the incident as “the most severe he has encountered in his ten years” on the job, according to the Herald Sun, which reported that the disturbance took place after the model was refused alcohol service onboard.

Getty/Don Arnold

Mornyang, who is based in New York but is from the Australian state of Victoria, told The Herald Sun that she had two glasses of wine with prescription drugs and went to sleep.

She said all she remembers is “waking up after sleeping for eight hours.”

Meanwhile, flight attendants said they had cut her off after “five or six glasses of wine and spotting an empty bottle near where she was sitting in the middle of the plane.”

“Even though passengers on that flight and other flight attendants said there was never a slap, the evidence was ignored and they decided to believe (the flight attendant),” Mornyang said.

The model, who was born in South Sudan and moved to Australia aged 10, was found guilty in a Los Angeles federal court on Thursday.

She will be sentenced on June 24, where she faces a maximum sentence of 21 years behind bars, the DoJ said.

The jury convicted Mornyang of one count of interference with a flight crew — a felony — and one count of misdemeanor-level assault, the DoJ said.

Read more: ‘Human rights lawyer’ arrested by UK police after racist rant at Air India crew demanding more wine

“According to the evidence presented at trial, several hours into the flight, passengers approached a flight attendant to complain about Mornyang’s disruptive behaviour, which included flailing her arms and yelling obscenities and racial slurs,” the department’s press release said.

“When the flight attendant approached to assess the situation, Mornyang began to shout at the flight attendant and then slapped him across his face. The flight attendant attempted to restrain Mornyang until federal air marshals could assist.”

According to court documents obtained by the Australian Daily Telegraph and reported by nine.com.au, after being told to quieten down, Mornyang told the attendant “she did not care and that she is a strong black woman,” before accusing him of being racist “because he was not talking to any of the white passengers.”

“The federal air marshals were forced to stay with Mornyang in the rear galley of the plane for the remainder of the flight,” the press release continued. It said she was arrested on landing in Los Angeles.

Getty/Phillip Chin

Mornyang, who maintains that she was asleep for the whole flight, said the alleged incident ended her modelling career.

“I boarded that flight on January 21st for what I thought was a life-changing opportunity,” she told told News Corp Australia, as reported by the Herald Sun.

“I had just been offered a modelling contract for three years and I was so excited. I couldn’t believe that it was finally happening.

“Just to wake up and be thrown into prison. I’ve never laid my hands on another human being. I don’t believe violence as someone who’s always been on the receiving end of it. I would rather hurt myself than another human being.

“This was a now or never modelling opportunity and I would not have done anything to ruin it.”

United Airlines, the DoJ, and Mornyang did not immediately responded to INSIDER’s requests for comment.

The Medal of Honor is the highest and most prestigious military award in the USA. Recipients of the award enjoy a host of benefits both inside and outside the military. United Airlines is adding to that list with free Global Services status and United Club membership that automatically renews every year.

Yesterday was National Medal of Honor Day. For the last four years, United has provided Global Services status, United’s top-tier status, to 74 Medal of Honor recipients. Global Servies status brings more upgrades, better service, and reduced fees. This year, United is adding free United Club membership as well.

Here’s a note from United President Scott Kirby to the Medal of Honor recipients about their free status and club membership:

The debt our country owes to your service can never be repaid; it can only be respected and honored.  As a US Air Force veteran, I’m personally honored to send you this letter and thank you for the sacrifices you made for our country.  In fact, I’ve collected about 40 signatures and challenge coins from living Congressional Medal of Honor winners and they are proudly on display at my home.  All of us at United Airlines want to thank you for having earned our nation’s highest military honor and in that spirit, the United family is proud to offer you United Global Services status each year, our invitation-only program for our most valued MileagePlus members. With Global Services status, you enjoy our highest level of service and benefits.

In recognition of your exceptional service, it’s now our pleasure to also provide you with United Club membership starting March 23, 2019. United Club membership gives you — and up to two guests traveling with you — access to more than 45 United Club locations worldwide. You’re also welcomed to visit any of our participating Star Alliance affiliated lounges and other partner lounges. You will be receiving your membership materials separately but can access your digital card via the United app. Just like your Global Services status, your club membership will automatically renew next year, so there’s nothing you need to do.

Consider this our way of taking care of you in some meaningful, albeit small, recognition for all that you’ve sacrificed for our country. We greatly appreciate your service and we look forward to saluting you on board soon.

Thank you,
Scott Kirby

It’s a nice gesture. As United states:

It’s a small gesture in light of what these individuals accomplished on the battlefield, but it’s one way we can say thank you. When it comes to flying heroes, the honor is all ours.

image: US Army

United Airlines is threatening to fire some flight attendants it suspects are engaging in a sophisticated effort to grab the best trips — such as lucrative and comfortable long-haul flights to London, Sydney, or Tokyo — and selling them to colleagues, according to a new memo.

“We have zero tolerance for this prohibited behavior,” wrote P. Douglas McKeen, senior vice president for labor relations. “When we discover that it’s occurring, we will fully investigate and take appropriate action, up to and including discharge.”

This marks the second time in the past month United has warned employees not to commit fraud against their employer. Early in March, United admitted it fired 35 employees it said had sold their employee travel passes. Employees can give the passes, which permit inexpensive travel, to friends and family but cannot sell them. According to United, some passengers paid as much as $4,000 for a year’s worth of discounted flights.

The recently uncovered fraud was more of an inside job, United said, with flight attendants scheming to take advantage of colleagues.

Both the union and the company said in separate memos that upset flight attendants brought the matter to their attention. Neither memo said how many flight attendants were accused of unethical behavior, but it’s believed to be a small number. United said an “overwhelming number” of flight attendants followed rules.

“Over the past few months, we have been aware that many of you have voiced concerns about illicit trip brokering where certain individuals have been improperly ‘parking’ and holding trips for their personal gain,” the Association of Flight Attendants (AFA) said in its note, dated March 23. “We’ve heard your frustration and recognize how many of you have exercised restraint in reporting this egregious activity to management because we are unionists.”

The Scheme

At United, as with most U.S. carriers, crews bid for trips based on seniority, so flight attendants with the longest tenure usually take the best trips. Flight attendants often prefer the longest flights, both because they pay more in a shorter time period — they’re paid by the hour but only when in the air — and they have longer layovers, often in better hotels than for domestic trips.

United’s contract allows flight attendants to trade trips with colleagues if they cannot fly them. The system is designed to ensure coverage for “unforeseen events,” McKeen said.

“Those trades are not the issue,” McKeen said. “What we’re addressing is the growing problem of selecting, trading, or parking a pairing to broker, buy, or sell it to another flight attendant.”

Neither United nor the union representing United’s cabin crew would say much about the circumstances. But McKeen’s memo, along with a similar one from the union, suggests this practice is more involved than some flight attendants simply asking for payment from friends in exchange for a cushy trip.

United said it searched social media and found flight attendants using code words to describe the kickback approach, promising “hugs,” “kisses,” “candy canes,” and “expressions of appreciation” to flight attendants who participated.

“This is about fairness, plain and simple,” McKeen said. “No flight attendant should have an unfair advantage beyond their seniority rights when it comes to managing their schedule or accessing flying opportunities.”

Usually, organized labor protects members on the verge of disciplinary action, but the union said it would not stand behind members who committed fraud against other flight attendants.

United, meanwhile, said it would continue to investigate.

“We know schedules are very important to our flight attendants, and we work closely with AFA to make sure our flight attendant scheduling is fair for all of them,” a United spokesman said in an email.