Category Archives: United Airlines

GoJet Airlines joins United Airlines’ aviate pilot development program

GoJet Airlines today announced it is joining Aviate, United Airlines’ innovative pilot development program. Aviate provides those who aspire to a career as a United captain with the most direct route to achieving that goal.

GoJet is proud to be a part of this innovative and transformative program for so many aspiring and current aviation professionals. GoJet plans to expand pilot hiring in 2021 to support the growth of its fleet and the carrier is thrilled to have this avenue for current and prospective pilots to advance in their careers.

The Aviate program will allow GoJet pilots a direct path towards flying for United after successfully applying to the program, maintaining high performance standards, meeting the airline’s requirements and flying 2000 hours and 24 months with GoJet, a United Express carrier. Aviate also provides support and coaching for pilots to develop into leaders who exemplify the professionalism, level of excellence and commitment to providing safe, caring, dependable and efficient service that United expects from its pilots.

With GoJet rapidly growing its fleet of CRJ550’s, this program provides a great opportunity for pilots and first officers to move forward in their career paths.

 

Boeing recommends operators of some 737 MAX airplanes temporarily remove them from service to address a potential electrical issue

Boeing has issued a recommendation to 16 customers (including American, Southwest and United) to remove and inspect certain Boeing 737 MAX aircraft due to a “potential electrical issue”. This is apparently due to a production issue when the aircraft were built.

The FAA issued this statement:

Boeing recommends operators of some 737 MAX airplanes temporarily remove them from service to address a potential electrical issue. The FAA will ensure the issue is addressed. Passengers should contact airlines about possible flight delays and cancellations.

Boeing issued this statement:

Boeing has recommended to 16 customers that they address a potential electrical issue in a specific group of 737 MAX airplanes prior to further operations. The recommendation is being made to allow for verification that a sufficient ground path exists for a component of the electrical power system.

We are working closely with the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration on this production issue. We are also informing our customers of specific tail numbers affected and we will provide direction on appropriate corrective actions.

American Airlines has grounded 17 MAX aircraft.

American Airlines Boeing 737-8 MAX 8 N378SC (msn 44471) BFI (Joe G. Walker). Image: 952213.

Above Copyright Photo: American Airlines Boeing 737-8 MAX 8 N378SC (msn 44471) BFI (Joe G. Walker). Image: 952213.

Southwest Airlines has removed 30 of its 58 MAX aircraft for inspections.

Southwest Airlines Boeing 737-8 MAX 8 N8701Q (msn 42554) PAE (Nick Dean). Image: 953439.

Above Copyright Photo: Southwest Airlines Boeing 737-8 MAX 8 N8701Q (msn 42554) PAE (Nick Dean). Image: 953439.

United Airlines has grounded 16 of its 30 MAX aircraft according to USA Today.

United Airlines Boeing 737-9 MAX 9 N1780B (N27520) (msn 64499) PAE (Nick Dean). Image: 951068.

Above Copyright Photo: United Airlines Boeing 737-9 MAX 9 N1780B (N27520) (msn 64499) PAE (Nick Dean). Image: 951068.

United returns to New York JFK with coast-to-coast Boeing 767-300 flights

United Airlines is back at John F. Kennedy Airport (JFK), now operating direct service to the airline’s West Coast hubs โ€“ Los Angelesย International Airport (LAX) andย San Franciscoย International Airport (SFO) fromย New York City. The airline will use its Boeing 767-300ER aircraft which features 46 business class all-aisle-access seating, and 22 United Premium Plusยฎ seats.

 

The airline operates the most premium seats between theย New York Cityย area andย Los Angelesย andย San Franciscoย combined.

United is currently flying one round-trip flight, five days a week to each West Coast airport, with plans to double the number of flights as demand grows. The carrier is back at JFK following a five-year hiatus and now offers service from all three major airports in theย New York Cityย area.

United’s premium cabin features flat-bedย seats on all flights similar to the currentย Newark–Los Angelesย andย Newark–San Franciscoย offerings, providing a consistent and comprehensiveย NYC-West Coast product. This includes the signature cooling gel pillow along with the Saks Fifth Avenue day blanket and pillow. The routes offer seasonal menus crafted by renowned chefs and distinctive amenities. This includes both travelers in United Business and United Premium Plus sections who enjoy a complimentary hot entrรฉe, mixed nuts, salad and dessert, as well as complimentary alcoholic beverages. The Economy Plusยฎ and Economy sections feature the United all-in-one snack bag as well as the airline’s buy on board program, which returns onย April 12. Eligible customers will have access to the United ClubSMย location at either LAX or SFO.

United’s operations at JFK’s Terminal 7 will provide seamless access for customers. The lobby area offers self-service kiosks, along with eight podiums which are conveniently located steps away from the TSA check point. Just a short walk from security screening, travelers will find the United-operated gates. Customers will also benefit from easy connections to more than a dozenย Star Allianceย partners at JFK, including access to 15 destinations in 14 countries as ofย March 2021.

United to add 26 new nonstop routes to popular vacation destinations, will also resume 20 domestic routes

United Airlines has made this announcement:

As more travelers begin to plan long-awaited getaways with family and friends, United Airlines is kicking off summer vacation season with a robust May schedule that includes the addition of 26 new nonstop routes between Midwest cities such asย Cleveland,ย Cincinnatiย andย Milwaukeeย and popular vacation destinations such as Hilton Head, S.C.;ย Pensacola, Fla.; andย Portland, Maine. The airline also plans to resume more than 20 domestic routes and will start new service betweenย Orange County, Calif., andย Honolulu.

Internationally, in May United will fly more than 100% of its pre-pandemic schedule toย Latin Americaย compared to what it operated in 2019, including more flights toย Mexico, theย Caribbean,ย Central Americaย andย South America. The airline also plans to resume flights betweenย Chicagoย and Tokyo Haneda, resume passenger flights betweenย Newarkย andย Milanย andย Rome, and restart service betweenย Chicagoย andย Amsterdam.

In total, United plans to operate 52% of its overall schedule compared toย May 2019, whereas inย May 2020ย United operated 14% of its overall schedule compared toย May 2019.

“In the past few weeks, we have seen the strongest flight bookings since the start of the pandemic,” saidย Ankit Gupta, vice president of United’s domestic network planning and scheduling. “As we rebuild our schedule to meet that demand, adding in seasonal point-to-point flying is just one of the ways we are finding opportunities to add new and exciting service. And as we have done throughout the entire pandemic, we will continue being nimble and strategic with our network to add the right service to the destinations our customers want to visit.”

Domestic May Schedule

Startingย May 27, United will begin point-to-point service toย Charleston, S.C.; Hilton Head, S.C.;ย Myrtle Beach, S.C.;ย Pensacola, Fla.ย andย Portland, Maineย from seven cities includingย Cleveland,ย Cincinnatiย andย Columbus, Ohio;ย St. Louis, Mo.;ย Pittsburgh, Pa.;ย Milwaukee, Wis.ย andย Indianapolis, Ind. United plans to operate these point-to-point routes through Labor Day weekend. Most customers on these flights will experience United’s new Bombardier CRJ550 โ€“ the world’s first 50-seater aircraft with two cabins. The spacious CRJ550 is equipped with 10 first class seats, 20 Economy Plus seats, 20 standard economy seats, Wi-Fi, more legroom and enough overhead bin space for every customer to bring a roller bag on board.

United also continues to be a leading airline toย Hawaii, offering more than 200 weekly flights, including new service betweenย Orange Countyย andย Honolulu. In May, United will begin offering United Premium Plusยฎ service on selectย Hawaiiย routes, which includes a bigger, more comfortable seat and a complimentary meal. United Premium Plus will be available for customers traveling toย Honoluluย andย Mauiย fromย Chicagoย andย Denverย and will be expanded in June to flights betweenย Chicagoย and Kona,ย Houstonย andย Honolulu, andย New York/Newarkย andย Maui. United allows customers with valid negative COVID-19 tests toย pre-clear before departing toย Hawaiiย so they can save time and skip document screening lines upon arrival in the islands.

In addition to the new point-to-point service, United will resume 20 domestic flights to popular destinations and introduce three new domestic routes. This new nonstop service includes flights betweenย Houstonย andย Kalispell, Mont.;ย Washington, D.C.ย andย Bozeman, Mont.; and betweenย Chicagoย andย Nantucket, Mass.ย Overall, United plans to operate 58% of its domestic schedule compared toย May 2019.

International May Schedule

United will fly 46% of its international schedule compared to itsย May 2019ย schedule. As customers continue to travel to warm beach destinations, United will operate more flights toย Mexico, theย Caribbean,ย Central Americaย andย South Americaย than the carrier flew in 2019, providing more options to travel toย Central Americaย than any other U.S. carrier. Across the Pacific, United will resume flights betweenย Chicagoย andย Tokyo’sย Haneda airport and increase service fromย Los Angelesย toย Sydneyย and Tokyo Narita. Across the Atlantic, United will resume service betweenย Newarkย andย Milanย andย Romeย as well as betweenย Chicagoย andย Amsterdam,ย Munichย andย Tel Aviv.

Newย Summer Point-to-Point Frequencies

Service from Cleveland to:

Destination

Frequency

Charleston, S.C.

3x weekly

Hilton Head, S.C.

3x weekly

Myrtle Beach, S.C.

3x weekly

Pensacola, Fla.

3x weekly

Portland, Maine

3x weekly

Service from Cincinnati to:

Charleston, S.C.

3x weekly

Hilton Head, S.C.

3x weekly

Pensacola, Fla.

3x weekly

Portland, Maine

3x weekly

Service from Columbus to:

Charleston, S.C.

4x weekly

Hilton Head, S.C.

3x weekly

Portland, Maine

4x weekly

Service from Indianapolis to:

Charleston, S.C.

3x weekly

Hilton Head, S.C.

4x weekly

Portland, Maine

4x weekly

Service from Milwaukee to:

Charleston, S.C.

2x weekly

Myrtle Beach, S.C.

2x weekly

Pensacola, Fla.

2x weekly

Portland, Maine

2x weekly

Savannah, Ga.

2x weekly

Service from St. Louis to:

Hilton Head, S.C.

3x weekly

Myrtle Beach, S.C.

3x weekly

Service from Pittsburgh to:

Charleston, S.C.

3x weekly

Hilton Head, S.C.

3x weekly

Pensacola, Fla.

3x weekly

Portland, Maine

3x weekly

Reuters: United Airlines CEO says will halt cash burn in March

United Airlines says they will stop burning through their cash reserves in March.

From Reuters:

“United Airlines expects to halt its cash burn in March and going forward, the first U.S. airline to meet such a milestone, Chief Executive Scott Kirby said at a conference on Monday.”

United, like other carriers, is banking on their traditional vacation destinations will boost traffic this summer. One example is Hawaii:

United adds 25 more 737 MAX aircraft to its order, total now 180

United Airlines announced today it is adding another 25 Boeing 737 MAX aircraft to its order.

The total is now 180. The breakdown of specific variants was not announced.

The airline is also expediting the delivery timeline in order to retire less-efficient types as traffic returns.

United said it has moved up delivery of 40 previously ordered MAX aircraft to 2022 and 5 to 2023. It will now have 94 new MAX aircraft in its fleet by 2023.

Video:

United and Landline to offer bus service from DEN to Breckenridge and Fort Collins

United Airlines announced today that it is making it easier for customers to travel to Breckenridgeย andย Fort Collins, Coloradoย with convenient year-round ground transportation service connecting through itsย Denverย hub. This is the first timeย Breckenridgeย has ever been served by an airline and will beย Fort Collins’ย first global network carrier service in 25 years.

Beginningย March 11, United will start daily service toย Breckenridgeย (QKB) and onย April 1, will start four-times daily service toย Fort Collinsย (FNL). The airline is teaming up with Landline โ€“ a premium ground transportation company โ€“ to offer connecting service to these popular destinations throughย Denverย International Airport (DEN). Customers can book their travel on united.com starting today, selectingย Breckenridgeย orย Fort Collinsย as their destination.

“United’s new service fromย Denverย toย Breckenridgeย andย Fort Collinsย is just one example of how we are identifying opportunities to innovate our route network to get people where they want to go with ease and convenience,” saidย Ankit Gupta, United’s vice president of Domestic Network Planning and Scheduling. “Our customers tell us that national parks and ski destinations are important to them and we are proud to partner with Landline to offer a unique, seamless way to help them get there.”

“With this new service, customers can start their day anywhere in United’s global network and arrive slope side inย Breckenridgeย minutes from the main gondola,” said Landline’s co-founder & CEOย David Sunde. “At the same time, inย Fort Collinsย we are creating global connectivity for the first time in 25 years. These new routes exemplify our mission to redefine the airport by making it mobile and multimodal.ย We could not be more thrilled to have United’s commitment to innovation and passion for customer service backing this new endeavor.”

Added Landline co-founder & Presidentย Ben Munson, “We have worked closely with the United team to create a stress-free connecting experience inย Denver. Customers will love our spacious leather seating, onboard streaming entertainment and free Wi-Fi.”

Customers connecting toย Breckenridgeย orย Fort Collinsย atย Denverย will transfer to the Landline service from an assigned gate in Concourse A, remaining within the secure airside area of the terminal. Checked-in baggage will be transferred directly from the plane to the bus. Customers originating inย Breckenridgeย orย Fort Collinsย will be required to pass through security on transit in DEN.

Keeping customer wellbeing at the forefront, United and Landline will be implementing a wide variety of cleaning and safety measures as part of the new service, all of which have been reviewed by the Cleveland Clinic. These measures include:

  • Back-to-front boarding;
  • Reducing seat capacity on Landline’s service to enable social distancing onboard;
  • Requiring mandatory use of masks onboard for customers aged two and over;
  • Electrostatically spraying ahead of each departure and sanitizing high touch areas;
  • Implementing a UV disinfection air filtration system launched by OEM (Prevost) on all vehicles;
  • Providing United CleanPlusSMย sanitizing wipes to each customer; and
  • Requiring customers to complete a ‘Ready to Fly’ checklist at check-in, acknowledging they don’t have symptoms for COVID-19 and agreeing to follow our policies.

In addition, United MileagePlusย ยฎ members will be able to accrue Premier qualifying points (PQP) and redeemable miles on services to both destinations.

Denverย remains one of United’s fastest growing hubs with daily departures around 80% of 2019 levels โ€“ the highest among United hubs. United currently serves more than 160 destinations fromย Denverย and operates more than 360 flights per day โ€“ the most comprehensive route network of any carrier inย Denverย โ€“ and offers more flights to moreย Coloradoย destinations than any other airline.

United service to Breckenridge

From

To

Depart

Arrive

Frequency

Effective

Denver

Breckenridge

11:15 a.m.

11:15 a.m.

11:15 a.m.

1:45 p.m.

2:00 p.m.

1:35 p.m.

Mon-Thurs,
Sat

Fri

Sun

March 11

Breckenridge

Denver

2:15 p.m.

2:25 p.m.

1:55 p.m.

4:45 p.m.

4:45 p.m.

4:45 p.m.

Mon-Thurs,
Sat

Fri

Sun

March 11

Schedule subject to change

United service to Fort Collins

From

To

Depart

Arrive

Frequency

Effective

Denver

Fort Collins

9:45 a.m.

1:25 p.m.

6:00 p.m.

7:25 p.m.

11:00 a.m.

2:40 p.m.

7:15 p.m.

8:40 p.m.

4x daily

April 1

Fort Collins

Denver

7:30 a.m.

9:10 a.m.

11:20 a.m.

5:15 p.m.

8:45 a.m.

10:25 a.m.

12:35 p.m.

6:30 p.m.

4x daily

April 1

Schedule subject to change

United to start Boston – London Heathrow service

United Airlines has announced plans to expand its global route network with new, nonstop service between Boston Logan International Airport and London Heathrow. This new service builds upon United’s growing presence in London and provides customers on the East Coast with another convenient option to get to London. United plans to operate its premium Boeing 767-300ER aircraft on the route.

Boston โ€“ London Schedule

From

To

Depart

Arrive

Frequency

Aircraft

Boston

London

10:00 p.m.

9:35 a.m.+1

Daily

767-300ER

London

Boston

5:00 p.m.

7:30 p.m.

Daily

767-300ER

Schedule subject to change

Media Briefing by NTSB Chairman on the United Airlines flight 328 investigation

NTSB issued this preliminary video report on United Airlines flight 328:

United Airlines flight 328 experienced a right engine failure shortly after takeoff from Denver International Airport. The airplane returned safely to Denver; none of the 229 passengers or 10 crew members were injured. The flight’s destination was Honolulu, Hawaii.

NTSB investigators from the Denver regional office along with another investigator who lives in the area, plus the investigator-in-charge and a power plant specialist from NTSB headquarters, responded to the incident and began the investigation.

WHO:ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย  NTSB Chairman Robert Sumwalt and Investigator-in-Charge Dan Bower.

WHAT:ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย  Media Briefing on NTSB’s investigation of Saturday’s engine failure incident on United flight 328.

United Airlines grounds its 24 P&W-powered Boeing 777-200s

United Airlines Boeing 777-222 ER N213UA (msn 30219) LAX (Michael B. Ing). Image: 952931.

United Airlines has made this announcement:

We are voluntarily and temporarily removing 24 Boeing 777 aircraft powered by Pratt & Whitney 4000 series engines from our schedule. We will continue to work closely with regulators to determine any additional steps and expect only a small number of customers to be inconvenienced.

The remaining 28 are already in storage.

The United announcement came after the FAA issued an emergency order saying it would be increasing inspections of Boeing 777-200s equipped with Pratt & Whitney PW4000 engines.

Top Copyright Photo: United Airlines Boeing 777-222 ER N213UA (msn 30219) LAX (Michael B. Ing). Image: 952931.

From Wikipedia:

“The Pratt & Whitney PW4000 is a family of high-bypass turbofan aircraft engines produced by Pratt & Whitney as the successor to the JT9D . It was first run in April 1984, was FAA certified in July 1986, and was introduced in June 1987. With thrust ranging from 50,000 to 99,040 lbf (222 to 441 kN), it is used on many wide-body airliners.”

Boeing 777-200 slide show: