United Airlines andย Airlink, a South African airline, announced a new codeshare agreement that will offer customers more connections between the U.S. andย Southern Africaย than any other airline alliance.
The new agreement, which is subject to government approval, will offer one stop connections from the U.S. to more than 40 destinations inย Southern Africa. Additionally, United will be the first airline to connect its loyalty program with Airlink, allowing MileagePlus members to earn and redeem miles when they travel on Airlink flights. This new cooperation will be in addition to United’s existing partnership withย Star Allianceย member South African Airways.
United has continued to expand its footprint intoย Africa, with direct service to four African destinations. Earlier this month, United announcedย flights betweenย Washington, D.C.ย andย Lagos Nigeriaย will beginย November 29, subject to government approval.
Earlier this year, United launched new service betweenย New York/Newarkย andย Johannesburg, South Africaย and betweenย Washington, D.C.ย andย Accra,ย Ghana, which is expected to operate daily this December and January. United’s popular service betweenย New York/Newarkย andย Cape Town,ย South Africaย will also resumeย onย December 1.
This new codeshare will be implemented upon final government approvals
United Airlines (Chicago) has reported that 97% of its U.S.-based employees are fully vaccinated against COVID-19. This comes less than a week before the company’s deadline for employees to get the vaccine or be terminated.
The company says this amount does not include a โsmall numberโ of employees who are seeking a medical or religious exemption from the vaccination requirement.
United Airlines announced today that new service betweenย Washington (Dulles)ย andย Lagos, Nigeria will begin on November 29ย (subject to government approval).
The airline will operate three weekly flights.
United will operate this route with a Boeing 787 Dreamliner featuring 28 United Polarisยฎย business class lie-flat seats, 21 United Premium Plusยฎย premium economy seats, 36 Economy Plusยฎย seats and 158 standard economy seats. This flight is the only service between the U.S. andย Nigeriaย to offer premium economy product. Flights will departย Washington, D.C.ย on Monday, Thursday and Saturday and return fromย Lagosย on Tuesday, Friday and Sunday.
Top Copyright photo: United Airlines Boeing 787-10 Dreamliner N12010 (msn 40926) LAX (Michael B. Ing). Image: 955099.
American Airlines made this announcement on social media:
Together, we stand with United Airlines.
Our pain from this day 20 years ago is shared, but so is our strength. We remember the lives of the colleagues, customers, family and friends we lost. And we honor them every time we take to the skies.
Theย September 11 attacks, often referred to asย 9/11,ย were a series of four coordinatedย terrorist attacksย by the militant Islamist terrorist groupย al-Qaeda against theย United States of Americaย on the morning of Tuesday, September 11, 2001.
On that morning, four commercialย airlinersย traveling from theย northeastern United Statesย toย Californiaย wereย hijackedย mid-flight byย 19 al-Qaeda terrorists. The hijackers were organized into three groups of five hijackers and one group of four. Each group had one hijacker who had receivedย flight trainingย and took over control of the aircraft. Their explicit goal was to crash each plane into a prominent American building, causingย mass casualtiesย and partial or complete destruction of the targeted buildings.
Above Copyright Photo: American Airlines Boeing 767-223 ER N334AA (msn 22332) IAD (Rob Rindt Collection). Image: 955280.
The first plane to hit its target was American Airlines Flight 11 (N334AA) (above). It was flown into the North Tower of the World Trade Center complex in Lower Manhattan at 8:46 am. Seventeen minutes later at 9:03 am, the World Trade Center’s South Tower was hit by United Airlines Flight 175 (N612UA).
Above Copyright Photo: Delivery livery of United’s N612UA which operated the ill-fated flight UA175 that crashed into the South Tower. United Airlines Boeing 767-222 N612UA (msn 21873) LGB (Tim Williams – Bruce Drum Collection). Image: 954969.
Above Copyright Photo: United Airlines Boeing 767-222 N612UA (msn 21873) JFK (Michael F. McLaughlin – Rob Rindt Collection). Image: 955268.
Both 110-story towersย collapsedย within an hour and forty-two minutes, leading to the collapse of the other World Trade Center structures includingย 7 World Trade Center, and significantly damaging surrounding buildings.
A third flight, American Airlines Flight 77 (N644AA), flown from Dulles International Airport, was hijacked over Ohio. At 9:37 am, it crashed into the west side of the Pentagon (the headquarters of the American military) in Arlington County, Virginia, causing a partial collapse of the building’s side.
The fourth, and final flight, United Airlines Flight 93 (N591UA), was flown in the direction of Washington, D.C. The plane’s passengers attempted to regain control of the aircraft away from the hijackers and ultimately diverted the flight from its intended target; it crashed into a field near Shanksville, Pennsylvania at 10:03 am. Investigators determined that Flight 93’s target was either the White House or the U.S. Capitol.
In the immediate aftermath of the attacks, suspicion quickly fell onto al-Qaeda. The United States formally responded by launching theย War on Terrorย andย invading Afghanistanย to depose theย Taliban, which had not complied with U.S. demands to expel al-Qaeda from Afghanistan and extradite al-Qaeda leaderย Osama bin Laden. Bin Laden escaped to theย White Mountainsย where he cameย under attackย by U.S.-led forces, but managed to breakout. Although bin Laden initially denied any involvement, in 2004 he formally claimedย responsibility for the attacks. Al-Qaeda and bin Laden citedย U.S. support of Israel, the presence ofย U.S. troops in Saudi Arabia, andย sanctions against Iraqย asย motives. After evading capture for almost a decade, bin Laden was located in a hideout inย Abbottabad,ย Pakistanย and subsequentlyย killed during Operation Neptune Spear.
The destruction of theย World Trade Centerย and nearby infrastructure seriously harmed the economy of New York City and created a globalย economic recession. Many countries strengthened theirย anti-terrorism legislationย and expanded the powers ofย law enforcementย andย intelligence agenciesย to prevent terrorist attacks. The U.S. and Canadian civilian airspaces were closed until September 13, whileย Wall Streetย trading was closed until September 17. Manyย closings, evacuations, and cancellationsย followed, out of respect or fear of further attacks. Cleanup of theย World Trade Center siteย was completed in May 2002, and the Pentagon was repaired within a year. Theย constructionย of the World Trade Center complex’s replacement began in November 2006, andย the buildingย opened in November 2014.
RIP 2,977 Brave Souls
The attacksย resulted in 2,977 fatalities, over 25,000 injuries, and substantial long-term health consequences, in addition to at least $10ย billion in infrastructure and property damage. It remains theย deadliest terrorist attack in human historyย and theย single deadliest incident for firefightersย andย law enforcement officersย in the history of the United States, with 340 and 72 killed, respectively.
Numerous memorialsย have been constructed, including theย National September 11 Memorial & Museumย in New York City, theย Pentagon Memorialย in Arlington County, Virginia, and theย Flight 93 National Memorialย at the Pennsylvania crash site.
Throughout the month of September, our team members and those at United will be honoring those we lost 20 years ago โ colleagues, loved ones and friends โ with a special commemorative pin.
United and Honeywell today announced a joint multimillion-dollar investment in Alder Fuels โ a clean tech company that is pioneering first-of-its-kind technologies for producing sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) at scale by converting abundant biomass, such as forest and crop waste, into sustainable low-carbon, drop-in replacement crude oil that can be used to produce aviation fuel. When used together across the fuel lifecycle, the Alder technologies, coupled with Honeywell’s Ecofiningโข process, could have the ability to produce a carbon-negative fuel at spec with today’s jet fuel. The goal of the technologies is to produce fuel that is a 100% drop-in replacement for petroleum jet fuel.
As part of the agreement, United is committing to purchase 1.5 billion gallons of SAF from Alder when produced to United’s requirements. United’s purchase agreement, which is one and a half times the size of the known purchase commitments of all global airlines combined, makes this easily the largest publicly announced SAF agreement in aviation history.ย United’s purchase agreement with Alder also surpasses the previous record set by the airline in 2015 through its investment in Fulcrum BioEnergy with its option to purchase up to 900 million gallons of SAF.
“Since announcing our 100% green commitment in 2020, United has stayed focused on decarbonizing without relying on the use of traditional carbon offsets. Part of that commitment means increasing SAF usage and availability since it’s the fastest way to reduce emissions across our fleet. However, to scale SAF as quickly as necessary, we need to look beyond existing solutions and invest in research and development for new pathways like the one Alder is developing,” said United CEOย Scott Kirby. “United has come further than any other airline making sustainable travel a reality by using SAF to power flights. Our leadership gives customers confidence that they are flying with an airline that recognizes the responsibility we have to help solve climate change.”
“As a pioneer of the SAF market with UOP Ecofiningโข technology, our work with United and Alder on this new technology will help transform the industry and support the growth of a zero-carbon economy,” saidย Darius Adamczyk, Honeywell chairman and chief executive officer. “This solution will not only advance United’s SAF commitment but can help the aviation industry meet its commitments to decouple increases in carbon emissions from growth in passengers.”
According to the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), U.S. forestry residues and agricultural residues alone could provide enough biomass energy to generate more than 17 billion gallons of jet fuel and displace 75% of U.S. aviation fuel consumption. If the U.S. were to broadly adopt regenerative agricultural practices, which capture more carbon in healthier soil compared to traditional methods, the U.S. could generate an additional seven billion gallons of SAF, which would completely replace the U.S.’s current fossil jet fuel consumption.
Alder’s technology and demand for its fuel from the aviation industry create a large new market for biomass from regenerative practices. Use of this biomass further enables Alder’s production process to be carbon negative over the fuel’s lifecycle.
“Aviation poses one of the greatest technology challenges for addressing climate change and SAF has demonstrated the greatest potential. However, there is insufficient raw material to meet demand,” saidย Bryan Sherbacow, CEO of Alder Fuels and senior advisor to World Energy, the company that owns and operates the world’s first SAF refinery. “Alder’s technology revolutionizes SAF production by enabling use of widely available, low-cost and low-carbon feedstock. The industry is now a major step closer to using 100% SAF with our drop-in fuel that accelerates the global transition to a zero-carbon economy.”
Prior to founding Alder, Sherbacow built the world’s first SAF refinery utilizing Honeywell’s technology and subsequently contracted with United, enabling the airline to become the first globally to use SAF in regular operations on a continuous basis. Since then, United has purchased more SAF than any other airline and, with this agreement now, has more than 70% of the airline industry’s publicly announced SAF commitments. Alder’s research is supported by the U.S. Defense Logistics Agency, the DOE and a partnership with DOE’s National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), focused on developing technology to process organic waste and sustainable, non-food plant material into carbon-negative transportation fuels.
Honeywell innovation established the SAF market with its UOP Ecofining process, which is the first technology used to maximize SAF production for commercial aviation. Building on Honeywell’s focus to create sustainable technology, Honeywell will utilize its expertise and proven process of developing sustainable fuels alongsideย Alder, applying proprietary hydroprocessing design to the process to jointly commercialize the technology. Commercialization is expected by 2025. This announcement is a clear example of how Honeywell’s Sustainable Technology Solutions business can partner with early-stage companies and help them scale faster, access customers and advance research and development to help drive sustainability at the global level.
United’s joint investment in Alder is the latest byย United Airlines Ventures, a venture fund launched earlier this year that focuses on startups, upcoming technologies, and sustainability concepts that will complement United’s goal of net zero emissions by 2050 — without relying on traditional carbon offsets. In 2020, United became the first airline to announce a commitment to invest in carbon capture and sequestration and has since followed with investments in electric vertical takeoff and landing aircraft and 19-seat electric aircraft that have the potential to fly customers up to 250 miles before the decade’s end.
United Airlines Holdings (United Airlines) warned today that its third quarter revenue and capacity will be less than expected due to a weaker travel demand due to a rise in COVID-19 cases caused by the delta variant.
United also expects revenue to fall by 33% compared to the same quarter in 2019 and capacity to fall by at least 28%, more than the 26% of the previous forecast.
United is adjusting its fall and winter schedule accordingly.
๐ซ New routes ๐ซ
Cleveland – Nassau, Bahamas Chicago – Guatemala City, Guatemala Denver – Roatรกn, Honduras
United today announced that its MileagePlus members can help inย theย Afghanistanย reliefย effort by participating in the airline’sย mile-raising platform,ย Milesย on a Mission,ย and donateย toย three non-profit organizations that are using air travel to transportย andย supportย Afghan citizens.ย As part of this campaign, United will match allย donations upย toย fiveย millionย miles.
For the lastย week,ย United has directly supported theย Department of Defense and itsย mission to transportย Afghanย evacuees to the U.S.
Participating non-profits, include:
Miles4Migrants: A non-profit that is using miles to book air travel for Afghans who have left their home country, and need flight assistance to reach their final destination.
Americares: A health-focused relief and development organization mobilizing medical professionals to provide in-flight medical care on United relief flights to the U.S.
World Central Kitchen: A food-focused, global relief organization that will provide meals to Afghan refugees as they arrive at various locations across the world.
United’s mile-raising campaign is an extension of the airline’s ongoing collaboration with Americares, World Central Kitchen and Miles4Migrants to support theย Afghanistanย relief efforts. Medical professionals from Americares have joined United volunteers on several of the airline’s recent relief flights to bring Afghan refugees, American citizens and service members to the U.S. United has also supported the efforts of World Central Kitchen at Washington Dulles International Airport as they provide comforting meals for all Afghan evacuees arriving in the U.S.
In addition to helping transport Afghan refugees to the U.S., United is working with partner organizations to help support the thousands of refugees who will need to be resettled across the country once they have been fully processed by the U.S. Government. United is partnering with Miles4Migrants to provide critically needed air travel to fly Afghan citizens from several military bases in the U.S. to their final destinations.
Additionally, United is working closely with Walgreens to ensure the passengers on the airline’s relief flights have all the critical personal care items they need to comfortably travel. Walgreens has generously donated personal care and comfort items to United including diapers, disinfecting wipes, feminine hygiene products, baby bottles and more, which are being provisioned onboard United’s CRAF flights to the U.S.
So far, United has operated 13 international missions, carrying more than 3,908 U.S. citizens and Afghan evacuees safely to the U.S. More than 8,000 United employees have raised their hands to participate in these missions โ working as crew members, onboard translators, volunteer onboard medics, coordinating the complex operation and more. Many of these employees have personal or family ties toย Afghanistanย and/or are military veterans.
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